I just finished watching the Scottish Rite video of the 26th Degree – Friend and Brother Eternal. This degree looks at a historical account of two Fraternal brothers serving on either side of the Civil War, and how the tenants of Freemasonry has bound them together. For those that may not be familiar, the Scottish Rite has started to provide video based productions of their degrees to be used by Valleys that may not be able to have a full cast of members to put on all of the different degrees. But during our recent situation that has not allowed us the opportunity to gather together, the Scottish Rite has started virtual Thursday degree nights.
Brethren this is indeed a difficult time in our lives, both politically and medically. As 2020 rolls on, I feel a strong sense of divide in our country. Our politicians argue incessantly with each other, calling out names. Misinformation is everywhere, especially in the media and social networks. Society is torn between belief or disbelief in facts surrounding COVID-19, its severity or its origination.
But yet there is still hope, hope in one thing that binds us together. We are Freemasons! We are taught three very important tenants in the first degree, Brother Love, Relief and Truth. In Brotherly Love, we are to reach out, aide and support each other. When we see a brother stepping outside those boundary lines of keeping our passions within due bounds, we are to reach out and help that brother come back into the circle and reassess our thoughts. We can cross that divide of our thoughts and bring each other closer to understanding.
Relief is very important, especially now. We have many friends and Brothers who are falling ill. We have neighbors and family struggling after loosing their jobs. Hospitals are inundated with sick patients, and our first responders are mentally stressed. But as Freemasons, we can help bring that relief. Whether it be via charitable monitorial giving, or be it through the man-hours we serve. This is an important time for us to reach out a helping hand to those in need. Now is an excellent opportunity to share with your Brethren ideas on how we can further help our community. We need to come together more-so then before, to help society return stronger than ever.
Truth, that divine attribute and the foundation of every virtue. To be GOOD MEN AND TRUE is one of the first lessons in Masonry. Especially during this time of misinformation! Not to pick on Facebook, but it seems that most of us have accounts and are barraged daily with tons of misinformation. It is very EASY to share MEMES, that depict sayings we like supposedly attributed to a famous person. But we need to be very careful in what we repost from others. We as Freemasons cannot let our passions betray us. We need to be seeking the Truth. We should be reserved in our posts to be confident we are not helping the spread of lies. Keep this in mind: If it sounds too good to be true, well then, maybe it is NOT true. There are many valid sources of truth available to us, we should seek for that knowledge first.
Most of all, we need to be ready to come together, as Men and help society find a way to be once again united! We need to step out and help those in need, we need to research the facts, and always practice brotherly Love. We as Freemasons can UNITE our STATES once again.