The other night, the Master of a Lodge decided to go around the room and have the members who braved the icy roads introduce themselves and tell the others a bit about themselves. I suppose such an exercise has some benefits, though it gets a little embarrassing going “I” and “me” an awful lot. Then he went around the Lodge room again and asked everyone for their favourite or most memorable Masonic moment.
Naturally, the two may not be the same thing. For one Entered Apprentice in the room, they were, as he really only had the night of his initiation to talk about. Some of my own memorable moments are not particularly favourite ones—it isn’t easy handing in the warrant of your Lodge as Worshipful Master, for example. But I chose one about a visit I had made with members of the Lodge to another jurisdiction when I was a young member in another Lodge, and something kind of amusing involving some brothers who have since departed to the Grand Lodge Above.
What was interesting is a number of the Masons in the room who had been members for a long time gave the same kind of thing as a favourite moment—namely, visiting other Lodges and meeting other Masons who they never would have met under any other circumstances.
One of the joys of belonging to a fraternity like Freemasonry is the instant friendship someone can have with total strangers, a friendship based on altruism. Masons aren’t members for any material gains they can acquire. Anyone who joins for that reason (if he admits such to an investigation committee) will quickly wonder why he just didn’t become a member of a Chamber of Commerce or business owners’ group where little more is required than paying an annual fee. For Freemasonry is not an organisation designed to make some kind of “contacts.” Its purpose is a greater one.
Conversely, it’s sad when officers rise to give the Toast to the Visitors and admit they’ve never, ever been to another Lodge. They’re missing a real blessing by not meeting others.
Freemasons are supposed to lend encouragement to each other to make them all better human beings. It can’t be done without contact of some kind with one another. Meeting face to face, just getting a friendly smile and a laugh or a hand on the shoulder in sympathy or sorrow if need be, is beyond monetary worth. Each time surely must qualify as a favourite Masonic moment.
7 comments:
Conversely, it’s sad when officers rise to give the Toast to the Visitors and admit they’ve never, ever been to another Lodge.
I've often found it ironic that new members are often encouraged to study hard and get to their MM, so they can travel to other lodges, and yet, so many of those members that encourage them never travel to other lodges, themselves.
Many of my favorite moments were within my home Lodge, but I have some memorable ones from my travels especially when we go in a large group.
Although I did not go as I had just got home from a year deployment, my Lodge as a large group went to visit a rural Lodge to show support and extend that Fraternal Brotherly Love.
Thanks for sharing your story.
Bro. Barry
Completely agree Tom. Travel is such an important part of being a Mason but saying it and doing it are two different things. I've traveled to lodges everywhere, including online, and the fraternal spirit grows as I meet more and more brothers. I traveled to one lodge enough times that I became a dual member. I know that's a little extreme but it's just damn fun to be a sojourning brother.
Nick
I learn something from every single lodge I visit, either a different way of doing things or a different take on a symbol, or just making new friends. Traveling is the best thing you can do in Masonry.
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One of my favorite memories of a business related trip to Florida last year was my visit to Halifax Lodge in Daytona Beach. Being from Iowa, there was no one in Lodge who knew me, yet I left feeling like I had known the guys as well as any in my home lodge.
Mike @ IowaFreemasonry.Blogspot.com
After initiation, my first official start of a meeting was as a visitor! By way of invite. Great to see new things there.
The month after was my own Lodge meeting again and me emailing another Lodge having a talk on a subject to get myself in to that meeting the same month, as a visitor again.
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