Masonry by the book

Worshipful Master, Right Worshipfuls, Very Worshipfuls, Worshipfuls, Brethren All:  I bring you the most heartfelt fraternal greetings of our Grand Master, The Most Worshipful Edward G. Gilbert.  Brother Secretary, I ask that this copy of the Grand Master’s Address, which was given on his behalf on St. John’s Day, June 27^th, 2009 in the Daniel D. Tompkins Memorial Chapel, be spread upon the minutes of our present Communication.

I have often remarked to anyone who will listen, that I have experienced more Masonry as the District Deputy Grand Master than ever before in my Masonic career.  I would like to think that is because I am more receptive to the teachings of Masonry than at any point previously in my life, and that may very well be.  But perhaps, just perhaps, it is due to other factors as well.

When I went to my first training session before my term, I spent a weekend covering various parts of the Constitutions and Masonic Law, even being encouraged to remember the citation reference number and pages of some key issues that I was assured would be to my benefit to have on hand.  You see, this job is all about making sure that Masonry is consistent throughout all of our State.  It is my job, first and foremost, on behalf of our Grand Master, to enforce Masonic Law, and see that certain standards are adhered to and obeyed.

In truth, it is what the business part of tonight’s meeting is all about as well; checking to see that the Lodge is recording things correctly, being good stewards of their finances, and paying the proper respect to our Grand Master.  And, true to the predictions of the Leadership and Education Committee, the very first question from a Lodge under my care involved consulting the big blue book of Masonic Law and the Constitutions.  This was far from the only time I would have to do so.  In fact, I used it so often that, during the first summer of my term, it almost became a joke in my family.  Like many families, our communal room is our kitchen/dining room.  We eat, do work, and talk around it, at all times of the day.  It is only quiet when we are all sleeping.  Yet, as if by some magical spell, that room would clear out instantly, whenever I sat down with the big blue book at my chair.  Even my cats seemed to know.

Yet with all of this stress upon law and rules, I was struggling to understand our Grand Master’s most basic message – “Lead with your heart, and get back to basics.”  Did he mean something else?  But, regardless of my confusion, I got even better acquainted with that big blue book.

Then there are my own Lodge’s by-laws.  You know, the book of Masonic Law refers to them quite frequently.  And, by the grace of a few Masters of other Lodges, I got to know the differences between some of the Lodges in our District by comparing by-laws.   When taken in the entirety, the flood of written law and instruction can easily mislead us into thinking that Masonry is all about knowing the rules.  As the chief rule-finder in this District, I can tell you that nothing is further from the truth.  Yes, all the rules, regulations, by-laws and edicts are written in order that we might have a specific guidebook to follow.  However, there is an easier guide for us to follow.

Sometime around this past summer, I found that I didn’t have to consult the big blue book as often.  It wasn’t that I was suddenly an expert at memorizing Masonic Law, and it certainly wasn’t because the calls for guidance were decreasing.  I was just responding to them a little differently.  As I considered individual situations, I started hearing the words of our Grand Master more and more; “Lead with your heart, and get back to basics.”

In a little experiment, I began to search within my own heart to answer the questions put to me.  After coming to a conclusion, I would then consult the Masonic Law before I gave any advice.  I was very happy, and a little surprised, to see that my heart always lead me to the same place that the Masonic Law book spelled out.  Now, don’t get me wrong.  I’m not talking about technicalities and paperwork issues.  It is important that those things are addressed in a judicious, expeditious, and consistent manner too.  But I don’t think that meditations of the heart will necessarily point out the solutions to that type of question.  So, when it comes to the big picture, the very heart of Masonry; why don’t more of us lead with heart?  Somehow, I think the smaller details will eventually work out fine, if we just started with what our conscience already knows to be the right choice.

As you know, our Grand Master’s health has not been ideal.  It has caused him to have to spend a great deal of time cloistered in hospital rooms and rehab facilities, away from the halls of Grand Lodge and its tomes of Masonic Law. Yet even in these less than ideal conditions, he leads us in unity of purpose, with an unerring message that should be at the center of everything Masonic; “lead with your heart.”  Isn’t that the same message we receive when we open our very first Masonic reference book, our greatest light?

I know that that there are many other books and forms that are necessary to keep our Lodges functioning in a uniform manner.  I know that our modern world of instantaneous communication and boundless technology needs guidance that is spelled out, so that we are all “on the same page.”  But even that advancing technology seems to be telling us something, as the printed page approaches obsolescence.  Being a Mason “by the book” is about so much more than the printed or electronic word.  It is about constantly looking within our selves, squaring our temporal attitudes and actions with the timelessness of the Golden Rule.  Yes, we are human and flawed, and we constantly need to work at our improvement, using the tools that are so often spoken of in our beloved Craft.  But even in our current rough state, when we look inside our minds, with love and an honest conscience, guided by the Great Architect’s unerring words; how could we purposely err in our actions?  Leading with Brotherly love will always point us in the right direction, and that is most certainly, written in our hearts.

Worshipful Master, I thank you for the courtesies extended to me, the Grand Sword Bearer, and all of our Brothers in attendance this evening.  My Brothers, as we consider what it means to be a Mason of the heart, I ask that you all keep a kind thought in your heart and a fervent prayer on your lips for our Bro. Gene Glaser, for his continued recovery.  As a great example of a Mason who leads with his heart, both in this, his Lodge, as well as in our District, we would do well to follow his lead.  I wish all of you a Happy New Year, and I thank all of you for being here tonight.