Festival of St. John the Evangelist – Beginning a New Masonic Year

The Festival of St. John the Evangelist on 27 December marks the beginning of a new Masonic Year in many Grand Jurisdictions. It is the date that the Craft resets itself, looks again to the future, and – in many cases – gears itself up to its highest level of energy of the year.

Even though the elections of Lodge officers may take place weeks or maybe even a month in advance of 27 December, those officers do not officially assume their duties until the Festival of St. John the Evangelist. Some Lodges do not officially install the new officers until that date – sometimes in the form of public installation ceremonies. That practice, however, is not as popular as it once was due to increasingly mobile and scattered families which necessitate a fair amount of traveling during the week or two surrounding the Christmas holiday.

The days between the election/appointment date and the date that an officer officially assumes his duties are often an exciting and nervous time – especially for a new Master-elect. I went through it and I see my new Master-elect going through it right now – which may account for the rash of emails and long phone conversations that I am exchanging with him. New Masters-elect tend to use this brief calm before the storm to plan or refine their upcoming terms in the East. Very often, they also begin to second guess themselves and wonder about what they have gotten themselves into.

Most of them are coming from the Senior Warden’s chair and are already aware of the behind the scenes workings of their Lodge – such as its financial situation and its collective vision for the future. A hard realization, however, hits them when it sinks in that they are soon to be at the helm and they will be ultimately responsible for the financial situation and staying on the vision’s course – or getting the Lodge back on course.

Either way, it is an exciting time of the year for most Lodges. In my experience, attendance picks up for at least a month or two as the Craft comes out to get a feeling on how the new Master and his officers are going to do and to soak in the excitement generated by the new leadership.

Tomorrow, we reset and begin again.

A Birthday

Four days ago, my company of citizen-soldiers sang Happy Birthday to ourselves. As of 13 December 2008, my military organization was three hundred and seventy-two years old - the oldest in the United States and one of the oldest military bodies that are still active in the world.

Sixty-Seven Years Ago

Sixty-seven years ago, tomorrow, 2390 people lost their lives during the attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, by the Imperial Japanese Navy. [1]

Citizens of the United States - along with all people who live in free countries and all those that long for freedom - are encouraged to take the time to reflect on this event and on the sacrifices made in response to it by the "Greatest Generation."

Photo: USS Arizona Memorial; 1177 of the Pearl Harbor deaths were crewmen on this battleship. [2]

[1] http://www.nps.gov/usar/historyculture/people.htm
[2] http://www.nps.gov/archive/usar/azcas.html

We Don’t Need No Education

I am a huge supporter of Masonic education in the Lodge and – not meaning to brag – have been largely responsible for ensuring that some sort of educational segment is offered during every Communication of my Lodge save for those that pertain to work. At the same time, however, I have come to the realization that the formal Lodge meeting is NOT the place for Masonic education.

After the sounds of shock have subsided, let me explain. During a Communication, the time is limited and the educational subject is not going to interest all in attendance. A Lodge setting is just too formal to allow for deep educational discussions. Now, don’t get me wrong. I still advocate simple educational teasers in Lodge. We need those – but the real education is not going to happen in that atmosphere.

To be truly effective, education should be taking place in a more informal atmosphere. Study groups, face-to-face conversations between Brothers, and participation in research societies or research lodges are viable and potentially productive avenues of approach. The supporters of Masonic education should, in my opinion, be pushing these types of activities and cease in trying to force Lodges into formal education programs.

Credit for this short article goes to Nick and Fred. They sparked the idea - though I doubt thay had a clue that they did.

THE DECLINE OF CIVIL SOCIETY AND THE RISE OF FREEMASONRY

Author’s Note: I have often stated my belief that Freemasonry goes through cycles, as does everything in society. It hit me this morning as I was drinking my coffee that it is not Freemasonry that really goes through the cycles. Freemasonry is a slow moving entity that changes very little. Something else has to be influencing Freemasonry. That thought prompted me to write this piece. On the subject of cycles; some studies suggest that Generation Y folks have more in common with the Greatest Generation, the grandparents and great grandparents of Gen Y, than any other generation. If this is true, then it bodes well for Freemasonry’s future.

The Decline of Civil Society and the Rise of Freemasonry

The signs of a real potential for the decline of civil society abound for all to see – even for those with the most optimistic of outlooks. Many of the doom and gloom signs are in direct contradiction to what the Founding Fathers of the United States, who were so heavily influenced by Freemasonry, seemed to have had in mind during the birth of this nation.

In the governmental arena, hard working Americans are forced into participating in mass charity on a larger and larger scale via a tax system run amuck. Many Americans seem content to vote away their rights and their tax dollars in return for promises of being cared for by government – a big, centralized government that the Founders, with their Masonic influences, specifically warned against.

Some elected leaders publicly decry the nation’s policies – policies that they often helped to create - and even her soldiers in ways that have not been seen since the War Between the States. Some of their public comments actually could be interpreted as providing comfort to the enemies of the country.

The great equalizer, the court system, steadily pumps out more and more decisions that defy common sense and logic. There are many examples of court decisions that seem to attack some of the very foundations – such as the First and Second Amendments - of what the United States was founded upon. Meanwhile, the courts are seemingly doing little to stem the crimes that cause many to live in real fear. Even in the rural areas of the United States; hard working and honest people are locking their doors, buying alarm systems, and demonstrating genuine fear for the safety of their property, their loved ones, and even themselves.

Despite more and more tax money being thrown at the issue, the value of education – a traditional favorite cause of Freemasonry - continues to shrink in many parts of the country as schools graduate many barely literate young people. This assumes, of course, that they graduate at all since the drop out rate continues to grow. The problem has reached the point that many – if not most – high school graduates can no longer pass the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB), thus reducing the pool of qualified applicants for the nation’s military forces. There are even people walking around with four-year degrees that are incapable of passing this most basic of knowledge exams.

Traditionally, Americans have turned to their places of worship to find some common sense and relief from the chaos of society. Though this is still true for many people, there is also a habit amongst some churches to become more of a center for political activism rather than a place of worship. There are even churches in the United States – some of them with large congregations and high visibility – that openly degrade the nation and actually seem to be calling for the Almighty’s destruction of it. Even if not involved in political activism, many large churches have turned themselves into lucrative businesses where - from outside appearances - they are more concerned with growing their holdings and their congregations than they are with worship.

Added to these negative signs are indications that civility between men has taken a drastic turn for the worse. Handshake deals are no longer accepted or honored as they used to be. Simple, unintentional mistakes that cause no real harm often turn into frivolous but costly lawsuits. Even family members often look upon each other with distrust.

Meanwhile, as these and other negative trends continue to develop, Freemasonry is waiting in the wings and men are starting to take notice of her in ways that have not been seen in decades. Maybe they are seeking a refuge from a society that is making less and less sense to them. Possibly, they are seeking an education that they missed out on in school. Some men are obviously looking for those age old answers to their questions – answers that, for whatever reason, they are not getting in their religious endeavors and their houses of worship, though Freemasonry replaces neither. They may be simply looking for a place that still has the trappings of civility and the traits of a gentlemen society.

The statistics suggest that the downward spiral of Freemasonry’s membership is slowing. A large part of this can reasonably be attributed to the new interest being shown by men in the Fraternity. Freemasonry is not, however, doing anything drastically different from what it has done for hundreds of years. Freemasonry hasn’t changed – civil society has changed and it has not changed in a positive way for many people. It is felt by this author that, as society goes through this negative cycle – and it is a cycle with better days ahead, Freemasonry will experience a positive cycle.

Traveling with the Dead

In 1882, a Senior Warden of a Lodge passed away. He was buried in a town of some great distance from the location of his residence and Lodge. Traveling today between these two locations would take about three hours by car.

His Lodge appointed a committee and pallbearers to accompany his body to its final resting place, which involved traveling by train and wagon. The Lodge covered the expenses of this trip. The Lodge further resolved for its members to go into mourning for sixty days and the Lodge hall itself was draped in remembrance of the fallen Senior Warden for a full year. He was not a Grand Master. He was not a District Deputy Grand Master. He was simply a Master Mason that was elected to be the Senior Warden of a rural, Southern Lodge.

This, my readers, is Freemasonry at its core and this account comes straight from the minutes of my own Lodge. The aged and fragile pages of those minutes sit before me as I type this and the picture contained within this post is a photo of that very book.

The Silent Summons

Note: Unlike some of my fellow owners of blogs that are Masonically inclined, eloquence is not my strong point when writing. I am much better at presenting straight facts and figures. I do, however, appreciate an eloquent piece when I run across it. The following, which has circulated through various venues, is one of my favorites and I hope you enjoy it as much as I have.

~ The Silent Summons ~

Author Unknown

A member of a certain Lodge, who previously attended meetings regularly, stopped going. After a few months, the Worshipful Master decided to visit him. It was a chilly evening, and the Worshipful Master found his brother at home alone, sitting before a blazing fire. Guessing the reason for the Worshipful Master's visit, the brother welcomed him, led him to a comfortable chair near the fireplace and waited. The Worshipful Master made himself comfortable, but said nothing.

In the grave silence, he contemplated the dance of the flames around the burning logs. After several minutes, the Worshipful Master took the fire tongs, carefully picked up a brightly burning ember and placed it to one side of the hearth, all alone. Then he sat back in his chair, still silent.

His host watched all of this in quiet contemplation. As the one, lone ember's flame flickered and diminished, there was a momentary glow, and its fire was no more. Soon, it was cold and dead.

Not a word had been spoken since the initial greeting. The Worshipful Master glanced at his watch and chose this time to leave. He slowly stood up, picked up the cold, dead ember, and placed it back in the middle of the fire. Immediately, it began to glow once more, with all the light and warmth of the burning coals around it.

As the Worshipful Master reached the door to leave, his host said, with a tear running down his cheek, "Thank you so much for your fiery summons, my brother. I'll be back in our Lodge next meeting."