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Montana Freemason November 2014
perform a kind deed, say hello, or just smile. Common
courtesy implies that all of those things are expected
of us. It doesn’t matter that those people might know
that we are Masons. Masonry has given us a foundation
to practice what is right and a place to understand
the importance of doing good at all times. It is our
responsibility to show that to the world.
In addition to understanding the teachings of
Freemasonry, we must engage our members as officers
and key figures within the lodge regardless of their
length of time in the fraternity. I like to call this guided and involved than it is for others, but it is present. The
ambition. Most of our current Lodge Masters have
been Master Masons for only 5 years! This means that
these men were initiated into their lodges and jumped
right into positions of leadership. This could be that
the lodge was in need of officers or it could be that
the individual was inspired to get involved quickly.
Millennials, as they are affectionately referred to, have
ambition and believe that they can take on anything.
Ambition and belief are great things if they are guided
in a positive direction. We cannot let these young
Masons accept more responsibility than they can
handle. It is admirable that they want to be involved in
the various service and philanthropic components of
our Craft. It is great that they want to go through the
line as quickly as possible to become a leader of the
lodge. It is praiseworthy that they want to be involved
with as much as possible at the lodge, district, division,
and Grand Lodge level. However, misguided youth
and ambition can lead to disaster, burnout, and the loss
of talent that, properly honed, could return dividends
for years to come.
In order to find this kind of talent and ambition, it
is important that you show interest in the visitors to
your lodge in order to see if Masonry is actually what
they are seeking. When an individual comes to your
lodge and states that he would like to become a Mason,
you should take an interest and ask questions. Does he
want to become a Mason because he watched National
Treasure or read Angels and Demons and thought, “I
want to do that?” Or has he reached a point in his
life where he feels that there is something missing
and his research has led him to Masonry? Our current
membership is far more knowledgeable regarding
Masonry than previous generations due to the amount
of information that is accessible electronically. We
must be aware of the information the visitor has and
determine whether our fraternity has what they are
looking for.
Ultimately, it is important that we focus on the quality
of our membership rather than the quantity. If we
are a group of men of the highest quality, others
will want to join us. Since I joined Masonry, the one
committee that I wish was no longer necessary is trial
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review. This has nothing to do with the brothers that
serve on the committee or their completed work. It is
because somewhere along the way we de-valued our
fraternity and our teachings. We may have failed in our
investigation of a prospect to determine whether he is
a man of right mind and right intentions. As Masons,
we must treat our lodge and our fraternity as our own
family. Those of you who are married are well aware
of the vetting process that takes place when evaluating
a potential mate. For some, it might be more detailed
overarching concern in the vetting process is whether
there is trust on both sides and how that trust can be
maintained. When we are charged with investigating a
potential member of our fraternity, we should recall
the importance of trust. We can ill afford to have a
member who brings harm into our lodge. We must
remember our first entrance into the lodge to avoid
bringing anything offensive or defensive into the lodge
whereby its peace and harmony would be disturbed.
This will make our lodges safe places to practice our
ritual and strengthen fraternal bonds without suspicion.
When we focus on quality, both sides win.
As trustful members of Freemasonry, each of us must
be proud that we are Masons. We must develop the
ability to discuss our fraternity with others, highlighting
our own passion for it. We should never fear telling
others we belong to this fraternity. When asked why
we belong, we should be able to discuss the merits of
the fraternity in general. More importantly, we should
be able to explain the merits of the fraternity for us
specifically. Conveying someone else’s passion or using
someone else’s words as your own is easy. Exhibiting
your own passion for the fraternity that has given you
so much and continues to do so on a regular basis
takes deep reflection. As you go into the world outside
of our lodges and you find yourself wearing a Masonic
lapel pin, you should be able to explain what it means
to you expressing your own passion.
One of the merits of our fraternity about which I am
proud is our collective strength in helping our members
and our communities. Earlier this year, I spoke at
the dedication of a baseball field and emphasized
teamwork. There is a belief in our present-day society
that there is no longer a need for teamwork or worse
that there is no place for it. We have become a society
of individuals who think that assistance from others
isn’t necessary because they are able to do things on
their own. Even when we are given assistance from
someone else to meet a goal, we often fail to give
proper credit. Our lodges and our fraternity are a team,
and it is our collective strength that allows us to be
of assistance to so many people throughout the state,
the country, and the world. It is our ability to work as
a team that allows us to achieve the level of sPuacgcee1s5s