Builders of Men

We are bound. We are bound by our relationships. We are bound by our vices.
We are bound by what is the social norm. We are bound by our avocations. We
are bound by our possessions. We are bound by all we are taught to believe. We
are bound. Free born? Never doubt that we are indentured servants. And thus,
symbolically, we are first received into the lodge in that manner. We are bound,
naked of all our worldly possessions, blinded, and confused, led about by the arm,
disoriented and in darkness. All then is chaos, or so it seems. This is the first great
lesson in Masonry, that to truly learn, first we must abandon what we think we
know. We can harbor no preconceived notions. We must make ourselves free.
Free from all the self imposed barriers that bind us. To bring order out of chaos
we must deprive ourselves of our senses. We must understand that “in a time
when we can neither foresee nor prevent danger, we are in the hands of a true and
trusted friend, upon whose fidelity we can with confidence, rely”. Faith is the
conditioning of the mind, to enable it to conceive that which it cannot comprehend.
Slowly, apprehension and confusion give way to trust and understanding, but only
if we make ourselves receptive. Before we can learn, we must first be taught to
conceive. We are blindfolded, that we might first be conditioned to understand
what we will see. There is a legend among the Aztecs that when the conquistadors
arrived they took the natives by surprise because even though their ships were
visible on the horizon for days, the natives could not see them, because they could
not conceive that such ships existed. Thus, initiates in all ages have been taught in
stages, or degrees, never being handed more than they are capable conceiving. As
they gradually began to comprehend, broader horizons became visible. It could be
inferred, that the true and trusted friend that first led us into the lodge, alludes to
placing our trust in God. When we enter the lodge, destitute, blind, and confused,
we are stripped of all but our faith. By that we are taught that through faith, all
things will be revealed.

---"I shall give you what no eye has seen and what no ear has heard and what no
hand has touched and what has never occurred to the human mind." --- The
Gospel of Thomas.   

Freemasonry is the oldest and largest fraternity in the world. The lessons taught
within its walls, Brotherly love, Relief, and Truth, are lessons that have been taught
throughout history. Our order, through its degrees and lectures, takes good men,
and instills in them a true since of brotherhood with all mankind. Throughout its
history, the Masonic fraternity has preserved within its walls, the basic building
blocks for any free society. Ideas such as freedom of religion, tolerance, truth,
equality, and justice are preserved here. Masonry arose from some of the darkest
days in our history, from times of intense religious persecution, and political
corruption. Groups of good men banded together in the first “lodges” in support of
each other, and man’s God given right to his own beliefs and opinions. The seeds
of a free nation were planted here, and some years later they crossed an ocean
with the forefathers of our Country. Masonic principles are evident throughout the
declaration of independence and throughout the constitution of the United States
of America. We now have the freedom to believe what we hold true in our hearts,
and to express that belief without fear of persecution. In a very quiet way,
Masonry has truly been, one of the greatest endeavors of mankind.
In Masonry, we are taught through the several lectures, the exoteric meaning of
the symbols and allegories within the degrees. More importantly we are
admonished to reflect on these things that we might discern their esoteric or hidden
meanings. This is not done simply to conceal these meanings from you; rather it is
more a matter of perception. Each of us perceives absolute truth in a different
way. Like looking at an object from different angles, we each see a different side
of the same object, but it is the same object nonetheless. This internal and external
symbolism is the greatest asset of Masonry. It is through this alone that we are
able to meet upon the level with all mankind. It is this language alone that speaks
through the masses to the elect. Once more we read in the great light in 1
Corinthians 13:11 “When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a
child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.”
Again, the Apostle Paul’s words to the Corinthians best sums up the purpose of
Freemasonry, “And now abidith faith, hope, and charity, but of these the greatest
is charity.” To this we have added the following explanation to our Masonic
lecture; “Faith may be lost in sight, hope ends in fruition, but charity extends
beyond the grave.”  Before being initiated as Masons, we affirmed our faith in
deity, and on being raised to the sublime degree, our hope in immortality was
confirmed, but it is our charity more than anything else that defines us as Master
Masons, and distinguishes us from the profane. We measure our accomplishments
as a Lodge by our charitable contributions. Most often this is in the form of
monetary donations. But it is our individual contributions, not only of money, but
of our time, and our talents, which are of the most worth. It is the instructive
tongue that whispers good council to a brother, the attentive ear that is always
willing to hear a brothers troubles, the faithful breast that keeps a brothers secrets
as inviolate as his own, and the hand extended, which is always willing to support
a brother in his time of need. These, my brothers, are what distinguish us as
Master Masons. As Master Masons, we are charitable, and do good things not
out of fear of punishment or for hope of reward, but to emulate the character of
deity. As Master Masons, we understand that change must come from within. We
“govern ourselves accordingly” that we might live our lives above reproach, and
become pillars of light, that the world at large would want to emulate. We are
builders of men, yet we do not “recruit” members. We live our lives in such a way
that good men come to us willingly. There are no intrinsic benefits within our
fraternity. We receive no monetary wages; on the contrary, we give time and
money to the fraternity. To many of our officers and active members, this fraternity
is almost like a second job. This is the charity that Paul speaks of. It is not how
much money we donate, or the good deeds we do that defines us as Master
Masons, it is that charity spoken of by the Apostle Paul to the Corinthians that will
extend beyond the grave, and live on in the hearts of men.
The E.:A.: degree teaches us the value of subduing our passions and
circumscribing our desires.  It teaches us to diligently guard our mysteries that they
might not be profaned by those unworthy to receive them.  We read in the G.:L.:
in Matthew 7:6 “Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your
pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and
rend you.” The F.:C.: degree teaches us the value of increasing in knowledge of
the arts and sciences.  In Proverbs 3:13 we read “Happy is the man that findeth
wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding.”  It teaches that the symbolic
wages for our Labor are corn, wine, and oil, or in other words, sustenance.  
Hence, if we trust in God, and live upright lives, he will smile on our endeavors
and provide for our needs. We have symbolically served our apprenticeship,
labored in the quarries as F.:C.:, and been raised from a dead and superficial level,
to a living perpendicular in the sublime degree of M.:M.:. The two books of the
bible represented in that degree, Ecclesiastes and Job, hint at the whole lesson of
the degree, and are the culmination of the Masonic mysteries. One illustrates the
theory, the other the practical side of Masonic Light, and Masonic Virtue.  
Ecclesiastes speaks of the vanity of all human ambitions.  That no matter how we
spend our lives working and acquiring wealth and wisdom, soon we will molder to
dust just as the beasts of the field. The underlying message is to do good only
because it is good, to increase in knowledge and wisdom only for the sake of
wisdom. To work without hope of reward. I remember reading Robinson Crusoe;
in the beginning his Father is trying to tell him not to go to sea, but to stay in his
native country and live a life of moderate means.  He told him that the Beggars and
Kings suffer life, but the man who lives a moderate life lives a life of comfort, and
may enjoy it. Kings are born into a life of scrutiny, and beggars struggle all of their
days, but the moderate man is able to divide his time properly, and therefore live
in relative comfort. The moderate man works for what he needs, and uses what he
acquires.  He is neither destitute nor excessive. He is neither vain in his pursuits,
nor futile in his attempts to enjoy a life well spent. Job teaches us that if by our
own endeavors and the blessing of God we happen to arrive at a life of comfort,
not to view it as the product of our labors, but as a gift of God which could have
been given to anyone, and which at any moment could be lost. It should be looked
upon instead as an admonishment to us to continue to do good, and to endeavor
to leave to future generations more than was left to us.

Jason D Strucinski 32˚ P.:M.:
Master, Balfour Masonic Lodge
What is Freemasonry?
Balfour Lodge #188 AF & AM
Chartered December 2, 1856 - Grand Lodge of North Carolina
Balfour Masonic Temple
632 Sunset Ave.
Asheboro, NC  27203
(336) 625-5363
info@balfourlodge.com
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