Yorktown DGGM visit                                                         February  11, 2010

Questions & Answers

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 titled my message this evening “Questions & Answers”.  As all of us know, this is a common term for an effective method of Masonic education.  As with all lessons in Masonry, it is meant to reinforce the very bedrock of why we became Masons.   These questions are very specific, as well as demanding, of the person so answering them; as well they should be.  Our Fraternity is a precious jewel, to be shared with only those found worth of that honor.  Is it so much to ask a candidate to remember what our Craft is about?

As specific and exhaustive as our process of attaining membership is, all Master Masons know that the rewards of that measurement are immeasurable.  One of my favorites is the fact that you are accepted as a Mason wherever you may travel in the world.  As long as you are in possession of your current dues card and the ability to satisfy the Master of the Lodge that you are, in fact, a Mason, you are happily admitted as if you were always a Brother of that Lodge.  Many of us have already experienced the joy of this in many other states of our country, as well as in many foreign lands.

My own experience in travelling to the United Kingdom to a very close friend’s mother Lodge was something that I will never forget.  As I was Master of Briarcliff #1155 at the time, I wanted to be sure that the Brothers of Moreton Lodge #5165 were left with a favorable impression of my Lodge, as well as my Grand Lodge.  Since I was already fluent in the more traditional methods of satisfactorily proving my membership, I studied some of the lesser-known lectures as well.  By the time our delegation left for the “hop across the pond”, I was ready to put on a show of New York Masonic ritual that would have them talking for years.

After spending a few days touring the beautiful countryside of Merseyside and Wales, the special night had arrived.  As we entered the beautiful Lodge building, I introduced myself to the Worshipful Master and inquired who I should present my party to, in order to satisfy him of our status.  He told me that, as Master of my Lodge, he had no doubt as to my proficiency, and as Brothers of mine, my voucher was good enough for everyone else in my party.  It didn’t hurt that we were travelling with a Past District Deputy Grand Master, either.

For a brief second, I was disappointed that I would not be able to demonstrate my recently honed knowledge of Masonic esoteric that probably hadn’t been heard inside some of our own Lodges in years.  But right after that moment, I was filled with a completely different emotion.

It was a sense of belonging and total acceptance.  A sense of true Brotherhood overwhelmed me.  It both warmed me and sent chills down my spine at the same time.  It was unlike anything else that I had experienced in my life, Masonic or not.

As the other members of our delegation can attest to, that Brotherly love and acceptance were not limited to that evening.  Everywhere we went there were Brothers happy to make our acquaintance, happy to shake our hands and show off their Lodge rooms and their lives, happy to sit and break bread with us.  And at each of these meetings, I never once had to prove myself as a Mason.  My dues card never left my wallet.

This is not to say that we should be so lax as to not be able to prove ourselves when necessary.  It is not every day of the week when we find ourselves visiting a far off Lodge, where a dear friend can already vouch for us.  Certainly we should always be in possession of the necessary components to vouch for ourselves.  Doing so simultaneously enriches ourselves with reinforcement of our tenets, while also honoring the brethren of the Lodge we so visit.

It is to be expected that travelling Brethren be able to verify their standing to a Lodge where they are unknown. It is also to be expected that applicants and Brothers in our own Lodges, who are not yet full members, be able to demonstrate their dedication to further advancement by repeatedly answering certain questions.  And while most of us are exceptional in conforming to these requirements, as well as enforcing them when it becomes our duty to do so; we sometimes forget what comes after that.

After a candidate has successfully attained the conferral of our highest Degree in Blue Lodge, and satisfied their Master that they are proficient in it, the situation should change.  They are now a member in full, and in good standing amongst us all. Beyond the requirements at the opening of a Lodge for all Brethren, the payment of their annual dues, and their regular attendance at meetings, when possible, nothing extra can be demanded of them.

To be sure, it is different for Brothers who voluntarily take an additional burden upon themselves by serving their Lodge or Grand Lodge in a chair or committee position.  These Brothers need to understand that with those special privileges come special requirements of dedication to service.  But that is not what I am talking about.

The process of becoming a Master Mason assumes that you want to participate in the Craft.  But it also respects that this participation may be limited by pressing issues related to home, work, and other important worthy causes that you dedicated yourself to before becoming a Mason.  When you are absent from any Lodge event, your Brothers should assume that these issues are of deep importance, since they are preventing you from being with them that evening.  If you should see that a Brother is not in attendance at some event that you are at, your assumption should be likewise.  This is not as easy as it sounds.

As Masons, we are men of an inquisitive nature; always struggling to know more.  But, as human beings, that inquisitive nature is hampered by human emotions and actions.  So, while it may feel normal to need an explanation for a Brother’s absence, we cannot request one.  For, as important as our priorities are, it is not for anyone else to judge them; nor can we judge them in others.   Certainly you may share them if you wish.  They just cannot be demanded of you.

We are a group formed for the specific desire of helping others in our group.  But that help must be solicited by the one in need.  We must respect the dignity of the individual by letting them decide what they will share, and what help, if any, they will ask for when it is needed.  To demand that they explain themselves does not respect that dignity.  It is not a question that we should ever ask.

Rather than speculate as to root causes and formulate questions about our Brethren, we need to focus on being better able to provide more answers. Growing a Lodge into a place where there is more room for answers than questions is a positive path.  It is not a place where some judge others.  It is a place much more beautiful and loving than that.

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 part this evening, let us remember how dark it was when we were seeking Masonry.  We asked a question about joining, and we were answered with an open door.  Thank you for all that you do to keep that door open.