masonic matters
Honor to the Fraternity
by Ed Halpaus
Grand Lodge Education Officer
Grand Lodge of A. F. & A. M. of Minnesota
"No person was ever honored for what he received. Honor has been the
reward for what he gave." President Calvin Coolidge
"Honor is the inner garment of the Soul; the first thing put on by it
with the flesh, and the last it layeth down at its separation from
it." Akhenaton, (Egyptian King, Monotheist)
"I've got an attitude of gratitude for each new day!" Richard Mekdeci
Honor to the Fraternity
I was asked if I had written about Honor and Freemasonry; I hadn't.
Reference material on Honor in Masonic books is not plentiful, but
the Holy Bible and other books on religion and bible commentaries are
great resources. Remembering what Masons are told regarding the
Masonic apron is important; it is hoped we will wear it with equal
pleasure to ourselves and honor to the fraternity.
"Honor," we know it when we see it; it's demonstrated in the degrees
and lectures, and it is the lesson of many of the allegories of
Freemasonry.
While we know honor when we see it we might not always understand it
and its importance. The study of what it is, and its importance, in a
Mason's quest to better his self for the learning, is a worthwhile
endeavor.
Respecting, and being respected, is to show and receive honor. Hard
feelings and anger result when there is a lack of respect: To avoid
these things a person could think before reacting by reflecting on
the questions; 'What would I actually gain if this person shows me
respect or approval? And what do I really lose by his insulting me?"
the answer to those question is critical to know; "Nothing!" 'Honor
and humiliation are very temporary.'[i]
While they rarely make any real or practical differences in our lives
we, as honorable men and Masons, should try our best to show honor to
the people we interact with; there is no need to add to the possible
stress of others by not demonstrating respect. Similarly if we are
not given the respect we would like, we could ask ourselves, as Rabbi
Pliskin suggests; 'what would I gain if this person had shown me
respect or approval? And, what do I lose by not receiving it?' The
answer is: Nothing! While honor is nice to receive it, like a lack of
respect, is temporary. "Someone who internalizes the truth of this
concept will never feel sad about lack of honor or approval."[ii]
When we delve into the moral philosophy of our Craft we find the
basis of it lies in the Great Light of Masonry: The Holy Bible is
said to be 'the rule and guide of faith.' It is from the scriptures
of the Holy Bible that all the degrees of Masonry proceed: In the
Rites as well as in the Blue Lodge.
Researching the subject of 'honor' naturally will lead to the Great
Light of Masonry and other resources that are related to the
religious teaching of the bible, and commentaries by learned
individuals.[iii]
Dr. Wayne Dyer has said that some people are always looking for ways
to be offended; his advice is don't look for reasons to be offended.
Many times a person feels offended because he or she is not treated
with what is deemed as proper respect.[iv]
Who is an honorable person? The commentaries in the Talmud[v] say he
is the one who shows honor and respect to others. Honor and respect
does not depend on how others treat us, but rather on how we treat
others; the more respect and honor we show to others the more
honorable we are becoming. That is important to the Freemason as well
as Freemasonry: How we treat others, both within and without the
Craft, determines whether we wear our apron with honor to the
fraternity. Wearing our Apron with honor doesn't cease as we exit the
lodge room to go about the rest of our lives.
Sometimes when people are treated with disrespect they respond with
anger, but the thinking Mason will instead respond with dignity. The
Mason who understands the truth that honor and disrespect is fleeting
will know the valuelessness of these things: "The greater your own
realization that you have intrinsic worth, since you are created in
the image of the Almighty, the less the slights of mortals will
affect you."[vi]
Freemasonry, through the importance of the Great Light of Masonry to
the Craft, stresses the value of wisdom. When we think of King
Solomon it's natural to think of his wisdom. A quick look in a
concordance of the Holy Bible will yield hundreds of scriptures on
all the forms of the word 'wise' from 'wisdom' to 'wiser.'
"Most people do not feel bad because they lack wisdom; they feel bad
because people say they lack wisdom."[vii] A person who continually
seeks honor, (an honor-seeker,) doesn't study wisdom to become wiser,
but to demonstrate how wise he is. Proverbs 18:2 says, [JPS
translation] "The fool does not desire understanding, but only to air
his thoughts." This is contrasted to the truly wise person who has,
instead, the goal to gaining wisdom whether of not he gains honor.[viii]
"A person who is able to forego honor is able to focus on truth. His
only thought is to do the right thing, and he is willing to sacrifice
his honor for his principles. Such a person will eventually receive
honor, for he will constantly work on improving himself."
Rabbi Zelig Pliskin
From the Great light of Masonry = "He who pursues righteousness and
love finds life, prosperity, and honor." Proverbs 21:21 NIV
_____
[i] Rabbi Zelig Pliskin
[ii] ibid
[iii] Rabbi Zelig Pliskin; he has written many books, which are available at
www.artscroll.com
some of
his thoughts from his books are on-line at
http://www.aish.com/spirituality/dailylift/default.asp Much of the
information in this paper is from what I have learned from his
writing.
[iv] Specific details as to what constitutes a lack of respect are not
important. The perception is.
[v] Pirkei Avos 4:1
[vi] Rabbi Pliskin
[vii] ibid
[viii] ibid
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