The Importance of the
Gloves
by Harold Meij
Gloves are used and worn in many Lodges. In our own ritual, we are required
to wear white gloves, something we rarely do and which I hope more of us will
do. So why do we wear white gloves?
We know that white, like the color of our Aprons, represents
purity. By using gloves, we show that every action we take should also be as
pure. The Templars, for example, knew three classes: the knights, the sergeants,
and the Clerics. Clerics were priests who acted as Chaplains to the order, and
wore gloves at all times, to keep their hands clean for “when they touch God” in
serving mass. Gloves are also seen as a symbol of power. For example, as part of
the ceremony making priests Bishops, a glove is bestowed on them like other high
clergy, and they often have oversized rings made to wear over the glove. The
right hand glove has often been given a special meaning, as it is a custom to
remove the glove when approaching a person of higher rank, an Altar or the Lord
- it symbolizes disarming oneself before one’s superiors, and since the right
hand pertains to the voice and to the rationale side of Man, it is a custom
which suggests candor and the frank disclosure of one’s mind.
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