The Value of the Ritual by Bro Louie Reyes

Our Masonic rituals are our link with the past, a preservation of the essence of the craft including the unique way of imparting moral lessons by allegory and symbols. Every knock on the lodge portal echoes the knocks of the Israelites on the great doors of King Solomon's Temple when going to public worship. Every rap of a gavel stirs up the same dust which the ancient masons breathed as they worked the stones of and for the great edifice, and every step of perambulation recalls the footfalls of our predecessors going about their daily work.

Our fraternity is unsurpassed in the use of dramatization and symbolism in its ritual work. Are we out of date, throwbacks from a time long gone?

No, we are not. We are timeless because the principles we believe in and stand for transcends time.

Uniformity and predictability of work.

Candidates are assured that they are being initiated, passed, raised, and installed in a regular manner. Brethren are assured that they are part of regular proceedings.

Freemasonry is spread over the four quarters of the globe and though there are variations in the actual rituals, there is none in their meaning or purpose – the fashioning of the perfect ashlar.

Adds value, colour and mystique to the work.

I suppose we could just make a candidate come in their street clothes, raise his right hand as he recites the obligation, take some money off him, and then give him his membership card. He could then sit in lodge anywhere he chooses and be told of next month’s golf day and barbie.

This might produce a mason, first made in his heart, embracing the principles of brotherly love, relief, and truth, a credit to his creator, to his family, to his country, and to the craft. Then again, it might not.

We all need to bring back our experiences of going through the degrees from time to time - how we felt when we were prepared for initiation, passed to fellowcraft, and then raised to the sublime degree of master mason. The experiences are inexplicable to anyone who has not gone through them, even those who have read all about them on the internet.

The participating brethren, everyone in the lodge, have roles to play which take them on the same journey from a different perspective and they are rewarded if they involve themselves fully in it. In addition, it binds the participating brethren to the candidate and to each other inextricably. The candidate, the brethren, the symbols, and the charges must all be present for the ritual to work.

Valuable tool for self-improvement.

Skills of memorization, research, acting, delivery and concentration are all called upon when one takes a role in ritual work. There are many charges, instructions, questions, and answers to learn, and not just the words but their meanings as well, particularly in the context of the ritual.

The Masonic ritual have been structured not just to initiate, pass, or raise a candidate. They are meant to create an environment in which the candidate will be receptive to the lessons which are being taught via allegory and symbolism.

There is much wealth of wisdom in our rituals and if we understand this fully then we will surely give our ritual work more effort and attention to detail. This can be assisted by research to understand what is behind the rituals. Why are the candidates perambulated? What is meant by some of the topics in the degree lectures?

A good example would be the point within a circle which is discussed in the first tracing board. The lecture says that it is found in all regular, well formed, and properly constituted lodges and from it a mason cannot materially err. Research shows that the point within a circle was one of the earliest symbols used by man’s ancient civilisations to depict the Supreme Being, further reinforcing one of the most important masonic landmarks. Another is the VSL which is constantly being mentioned. When did it become one of the great lights and why?

Renewing qualities of ritual.

What can possibly be new to a mason of fifty or sixty years experience as he witnesses his thousandth initiation? The candidate, of course, and all the new experiences he brings. When the obligation is spoken by a candidate, it comes alive again for all in the room, reminding all of that which they have undertaken to do on their honour as men, and as emanations of the deity. It becomes fresh for all the brethren because it is all new for the candidate and that emotion is very potent and fills the lodge room. In effect, all the brethren are being initiated and masonry begins once more for all present.

I believe that our rituals are, or ought to be, a landmark of masonry for without them, it would not be masonry. This makes them priceless to masons and they should be protected from encroachment accordingly. It would be better to fully understand them and understand why they have stood the test of time and come through the generations in essentially the same form, rather than to alter them arbitrarily to suit the usages and customs of the present.

Bro Louie Reyes
Lodge Woronora, 414
Grand Lodge of New South Wales & Australian Capital Territory

Moderator's Note: Bro Louie Reyes is the current Vice President of The Fil Masons Association of NSW, Inc. and an active officer and member of Lodge Woronora 414. He is also very active in Lodge of Instruction and Research, a very commendable effort for one who is relatively new to Freemasonry. He is an IT Professional.