The following is an excerpt from a speech by Lord Northampton at a General Meeting and the 25th Anniversary of the Grand Charity of the United Grand Lodge of England, at Freemasons Hall in London on 21 June 2006:
"What is less known about freemasonry is its quality of tolerance. We accept all men regardless of their age, colour, status, nationality, or religious or political persuasion. In any one of our lodges you will find men of many different faiths and with varied backgrounds and lifestyles. All we care about is that our members believe in God, want to better themselves and be of more service to their fellow beings. Harmony prevails in our lodges probably helped by the fact that all discussions of a religious and political nature are banned. It is often said that Freemasonry breaks down the barriers which keep men apart, and as someone who travels extensively visiting brethren in lodges all over the world, I can certainly vouch for that statement.
Freemasonry is a system of morality in which every object has a deeper symbolic meaning. It has no dogma or doctrine and encourages its members to follow whatever religion they belong to. We hope that by helping the individual to become a better wiser person it will inevitably help society as a whole. Although we only allow men into our form of masonry there are about fifty thousand lady masons in England and Wales in a parallel Order who practise their masonry in exactly the same way as we do.
There are only three ceremonies as well as the installation of a new Master each year. These are much the same wherever you find freemasonry around the world. The first deals with morality and the need to have good ethical standards of behaviour. It also emphasises the need to be in control of ones emotions. The second explains the importance of educating ones intellect so as to become a more useful member of society. The third deals with trust and integrity. As you have heard earlier the three main principles on which the Order was founded are Brotherly Love, Relief and Truth, which in layman's language could be described as long lasting friendships, compassion and integrity."
Moderator's Note: Also visit ...A page about Freemasonry (est. October 1994 -- the World's Oldest Masonic Website)
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Monday, June 23, 2008
Masonry is a Way of Life by MWBro Pacifico B. Aniag
By MWBro Pacifico B. Aniag, Grand Master of Masons, MW Grand Lodge of the Philippines
(Delivered during the Grand Lodge of the Philippines Independence Day Program on June 12, 2008)
From accounts of several Filipino historians, we learn that it was on June 5, 1898 when Bro. Emilio Aguinaldo issued a decree setting aside June 12 as the day for the proclamation of Philippine Independence. At the same time, he commissioned Julian Felipe to prepare a composition which would be adopted as the official march of the Philippines during the independence ceremonies in Kawit, Cavite. On June 12, 1898 the Marcha Nacional Filipina was played for the first time. Doing the honors was the band of San Francisco de Malabon.
For more than a year, that anthem, or march, remained without words. Towards the end of August 1899, a young poet-soldier from Bayambang, Pangasinan, named Jose Palma (younger brother of MW Rafael Palma, PGM) wrote a Spanish poem entitled Filipinas. This poem expressed in elegant verses the ardent patriotism and fighting spirit of the Filipino people. It was unanimously acclaimed as the fitting lyrics for that Marcha Nacional Filipina.
In the 1920s, it became necessary to translate those Spanish lyrics to English and the American colonial government commissioned a Filipino writer, Camilo Osias (who would eventually become Grand Master of Masons), and an American, A.L. Lane to do the translation. There are still some of us here who belong to that generation of Filipinos who thus grew up singing the National Anthem in English.
During the term of Pres. Ramon Magsaysay, the National Anthem was translated by Bro Julian Cruz Balmaceda and Ildefonso Santos into Tagalog, and finally, on May 26, 1956, the Lupang Hinirang was sung with the unfurling of the Filipino flag.
The series of direct translations ensured the consistency of its content. While Jose Palma wrote, "Los invasores no te hallaran jamas" this was translated by Osias to "Ne'er shall invaders trample thy sacred shore" and further translated by Balmaceda & Santos to "Sa manlulupig 'di ka pasisiil." These words were not empty boasts. From the start, or even when the Anthem was written in Spanish, the most blood was shed for the Filipino flag.
And we will recall with great pride and honor that at around that time too, a good number of our brethren gave their lives to the cause of freedom and the struggle for independence. They breathed life into the words: "ang mamatay ng dahil sa iyo." As we commemorate our independence today, we pay tribute not only to the flag, nor the lyrics of our national anthem Lupang Hinirang, but more importantly to the memory of those heroes and martyrs who shed their most precious blood, that they will not have died in vain.
So many of them were Masons that Pres. Emilio Aguinaldo had to declare that the 1898 revolution was masonically inspired, masonically led, and masonically executed.
And this might lead us to thinking why we have not been paying homage to the heroes who were also Masons, in the grand tradition that Masonry is known for; until it occurs to us that perhaps we'd rather not. They belonged to Masonic lodges which would be considered "irregular" under the current dispensation. There still exist irritants in our Masonic relationship that need to be resolved before we can truly call our heroes and martyrs as "our very own."
As we can gather from these historical accounts, it was that while the National Anthem was yet being sung in the Spanish version when most lodges of the Gran Consejo Regional de Filipinas, under the Grande Oriente Espanol, affiliated with the American-sponsored Grand Lodge of the Philippine Islands. Truly, a supreme irony, if there ever was one.
Inevitably, this led to the formation of the Gran Logia Regional del Archipelago Filipino. And by 1924, further rift within their ranks had caused another split. The Gran Logia Nacional de Filipinas was formed. This move was countered by the Grande Oriente Espanol when, in 1925, it chartered a "sovereign and independent" Gran Logia del Archipelago Filipino, or what we now colloquially call the "soberana lodges."
And so it could be that there are some who must be wondering why our heroes whom we proudly claim to be masons seemed to have no affinity with us insofar as Masonic relationships are concerned; that they seem to have learned their lessons of masonry from Lodges not even recognized by our jurisdiction.
In order for us to fully understand, perhaps it should come to our mind that Masonry must be viewed upon: 1) as a way of life; and 2) as an organization of men bound by rules, practices and tradition.
Marahil ay nararapat na unawain natin na sa isang banda, ang Masonerya ay isang samahan na may mga batas at panuntunan na dapat pairalin sapagka¢t ito ang nakapagbibigay ng kaayusan, disiplina, at mabuting pamamahala para sa katatagan ng isang samahan. Lalo pa't tayo ay kumikilala sa isang uri ng Masonerya na may sinusunod na mga matatanda at taga-sa-panahong mga tradisyon at kaugalian na ating sinumpaang hindi kailan man maaaring baguhin at pawalan ng kabuluhan. Ito ang mga kadahilanan kung bakit hindi maaari at basta na lamang tayo ay makikipag relasyon sa sinumang pangkat o organisasyon ng mga mason hangga't hindi natitiyak na ang mga batas, tradisyon, at mga kaugalian ay sumasang-ayon sa itinadhana ng kalipunan ng kinikilalang tagapagtaguyod ng gayong uri ng Masonerya sa buong daigdig.
The "soberana" lodges have been quietly going about their masonic business since 1925, in a rather "irregular" manner by our Grand Lodge standards, until the mid-1980s when the Grande Oriente Espanol merged with the Grand Lodge of Spain. The merger was survived by the Grand Lodge of Spain. It so happens that today, the Grand Lodge of the Philippines maintains harmonious and warm fraternal ties with the Grand Lodge of Spain.
And so, the Gran Oriente Espanol, with which the GLP ceased to have formal protocol since 1912, is no longer in existence; and the Grand Lodge of Spain has now initiated diplomatic moves to bring us to the negotiation table for a resolution on the status of the "soberana" lodges in the Philippines. I have now received a formal letter from the Grand Lodge of Spain and I have referred this matter to the Committee on Foreign Relations for evaluation.
But on the other hand, and I believe is a more important aspect of Masonry is that it should, more than anything else, be viewed upon as a way of life. Ang Masoneya ay kinakailangang kilalanin natin na isang pamamaraan ng buhay. Hindi ang Masonerya bilang isang samahan kundi ang Mason bilang isang tao ang may tunay na impluwensya at kabuluhan sa isang lipunan. Ang ating dapat na maging pananaw sa Masonerya ay ito'y isang pansariling paglalakbay na tumutuklas ng mga kaalaman upang mapabuti at mapaunlad ang ating mga sarili. Ating unawain na ang bawa¢t isang Mason, dahilan sa kanyang natutunan sa Masonerya, ay dapat yumakap sa isang paniniwala na ang buhay ay may kabuluhan lamang kung ito¢y gagamitin para sa kapakanan at kabutihan ng lipunan at kagalingan ng para sa lahat. Ako'y naniniwalang ganyan ang umiral sa kaisipan ng mga bayaning mga mason na nagbuwis ng hirap at buhay alang-alang sa pagkamit ng kalayaan ng ating bansa. Gayon din marahil ang dahilan kung bakit hinahanap ngayon at ipinagtatanong kung nasaan ang mga Mason sa gitna ng kasalukuyang nagaganap na suliranin ng ating bansa at lipunan. Kapag ang isang Mason na hinubog at tinuruan sa mabubuting aral ng Masonerya ay hindi kumikilos para sa kabutihan ng lipunan, saka pa lamang masasabing naging bigo ang Masonerya sa kanyang hangarin at layunin.
I believe that it is in this sense that the universality of masonry must be looked upon. Masons from whatever jurisdiction are Masons who have also been imbibed with the noble tenets of brotherly love, relief, and truth. There had been many accounts of American masons helping and working with, and even collaborating with Spanish and Filipino Masons during the early years of independence knowing fully well that they belonged to jurisdictions that had no fraternal relations; but they worked together for the sake of what is good for our country then.
Ako'y naniniwalang ang Masonerya bilang isang organisasyon o samahan ay may mga limitasyon at pansariling paniniwala para sa pagtataguyod ng kanyang katatagan. Subali't ito'y pinapangibabawan ng isang mas makabuluhang pananaw -- na ang Masonerya ay isang pamamaraan ng buhay na nagpapataas ng antas ng kaalaman upang ang isang tinaguriang tunay na Mason ay maging positibong impluwensya sa buhay at galaw ng lipunan.
Nawa'y maging mabiyaya at maligaya para sa ating mga Mason ang pagdiriwang na ito ng Araw ng Kalayaan sa ating bansa. Mabuhay ang Pilipinas; Mabuhay ang Masonerya!
(Delivered during the Grand Lodge of the Philippines Independence Day Program on June 12, 2008)
From accounts of several Filipino historians, we learn that it was on June 5, 1898 when Bro. Emilio Aguinaldo issued a decree setting aside June 12 as the day for the proclamation of Philippine Independence. At the same time, he commissioned Julian Felipe to prepare a composition which would be adopted as the official march of the Philippines during the independence ceremonies in Kawit, Cavite. On June 12, 1898 the Marcha Nacional Filipina was played for the first time. Doing the honors was the band of San Francisco de Malabon.
For more than a year, that anthem, or march, remained without words. Towards the end of August 1899, a young poet-soldier from Bayambang, Pangasinan, named Jose Palma (younger brother of MW Rafael Palma, PGM) wrote a Spanish poem entitled Filipinas. This poem expressed in elegant verses the ardent patriotism and fighting spirit of the Filipino people. It was unanimously acclaimed as the fitting lyrics for that Marcha Nacional Filipina.
In the 1920s, it became necessary to translate those Spanish lyrics to English and the American colonial government commissioned a Filipino writer, Camilo Osias (who would eventually become Grand Master of Masons), and an American, A.L. Lane to do the translation. There are still some of us here who belong to that generation of Filipinos who thus grew up singing the National Anthem in English.
During the term of Pres. Ramon Magsaysay, the National Anthem was translated by Bro Julian Cruz Balmaceda and Ildefonso Santos into Tagalog, and finally, on May 26, 1956, the Lupang Hinirang was sung with the unfurling of the Filipino flag.
The series of direct translations ensured the consistency of its content. While Jose Palma wrote, "Los invasores no te hallaran jamas" this was translated by Osias to "Ne'er shall invaders trample thy sacred shore" and further translated by Balmaceda & Santos to "Sa manlulupig 'di ka pasisiil." These words were not empty boasts. From the start, or even when the Anthem was written in Spanish, the most blood was shed for the Filipino flag.
And we will recall with great pride and honor that at around that time too, a good number of our brethren gave their lives to the cause of freedom and the struggle for independence. They breathed life into the words: "ang mamatay ng dahil sa iyo." As we commemorate our independence today, we pay tribute not only to the flag, nor the lyrics of our national anthem Lupang Hinirang, but more importantly to the memory of those heroes and martyrs who shed their most precious blood, that they will not have died in vain.
So many of them were Masons that Pres. Emilio Aguinaldo had to declare that the 1898 revolution was masonically inspired, masonically led, and masonically executed.
And this might lead us to thinking why we have not been paying homage to the heroes who were also Masons, in the grand tradition that Masonry is known for; until it occurs to us that perhaps we'd rather not. They belonged to Masonic lodges which would be considered "irregular" under the current dispensation. There still exist irritants in our Masonic relationship that need to be resolved before we can truly call our heroes and martyrs as "our very own."
As we can gather from these historical accounts, it was that while the National Anthem was yet being sung in the Spanish version when most lodges of the Gran Consejo Regional de Filipinas, under the Grande Oriente Espanol, affiliated with the American-sponsored Grand Lodge of the Philippine Islands. Truly, a supreme irony, if there ever was one.
Inevitably, this led to the formation of the Gran Logia Regional del Archipelago Filipino. And by 1924, further rift within their ranks had caused another split. The Gran Logia Nacional de Filipinas was formed. This move was countered by the Grande Oriente Espanol when, in 1925, it chartered a "sovereign and independent" Gran Logia del Archipelago Filipino, or what we now colloquially call the "soberana lodges."
And so it could be that there are some who must be wondering why our heroes whom we proudly claim to be masons seemed to have no affinity with us insofar as Masonic relationships are concerned; that they seem to have learned their lessons of masonry from Lodges not even recognized by our jurisdiction.
In order for us to fully understand, perhaps it should come to our mind that Masonry must be viewed upon: 1) as a way of life; and 2) as an organization of men bound by rules, practices and tradition.
Marahil ay nararapat na unawain natin na sa isang banda, ang Masonerya ay isang samahan na may mga batas at panuntunan na dapat pairalin sapagka¢t ito ang nakapagbibigay ng kaayusan, disiplina, at mabuting pamamahala para sa katatagan ng isang samahan. Lalo pa't tayo ay kumikilala sa isang uri ng Masonerya na may sinusunod na mga matatanda at taga-sa-panahong mga tradisyon at kaugalian na ating sinumpaang hindi kailan man maaaring baguhin at pawalan ng kabuluhan. Ito ang mga kadahilanan kung bakit hindi maaari at basta na lamang tayo ay makikipag relasyon sa sinumang pangkat o organisasyon ng mga mason hangga't hindi natitiyak na ang mga batas, tradisyon, at mga kaugalian ay sumasang-ayon sa itinadhana ng kalipunan ng kinikilalang tagapagtaguyod ng gayong uri ng Masonerya sa buong daigdig.
The "soberana" lodges have been quietly going about their masonic business since 1925, in a rather "irregular" manner by our Grand Lodge standards, until the mid-1980s when the Grande Oriente Espanol merged with the Grand Lodge of Spain. The merger was survived by the Grand Lodge of Spain. It so happens that today, the Grand Lodge of the Philippines maintains harmonious and warm fraternal ties with the Grand Lodge of Spain.
And so, the Gran Oriente Espanol, with which the GLP ceased to have formal protocol since 1912, is no longer in existence; and the Grand Lodge of Spain has now initiated diplomatic moves to bring us to the negotiation table for a resolution on the status of the "soberana" lodges in the Philippines. I have now received a formal letter from the Grand Lodge of Spain and I have referred this matter to the Committee on Foreign Relations for evaluation.
But on the other hand, and I believe is a more important aspect of Masonry is that it should, more than anything else, be viewed upon as a way of life. Ang Masoneya ay kinakailangang kilalanin natin na isang pamamaraan ng buhay. Hindi ang Masonerya bilang isang samahan kundi ang Mason bilang isang tao ang may tunay na impluwensya at kabuluhan sa isang lipunan. Ang ating dapat na maging pananaw sa Masonerya ay ito'y isang pansariling paglalakbay na tumutuklas ng mga kaalaman upang mapabuti at mapaunlad ang ating mga sarili. Ating unawain na ang bawa¢t isang Mason, dahilan sa kanyang natutunan sa Masonerya, ay dapat yumakap sa isang paniniwala na ang buhay ay may kabuluhan lamang kung ito¢y gagamitin para sa kapakanan at kabutihan ng lipunan at kagalingan ng para sa lahat. Ako'y naniniwalang ganyan ang umiral sa kaisipan ng mga bayaning mga mason na nagbuwis ng hirap at buhay alang-alang sa pagkamit ng kalayaan ng ating bansa. Gayon din marahil ang dahilan kung bakit hinahanap ngayon at ipinagtatanong kung nasaan ang mga Mason sa gitna ng kasalukuyang nagaganap na suliranin ng ating bansa at lipunan. Kapag ang isang Mason na hinubog at tinuruan sa mabubuting aral ng Masonerya ay hindi kumikilos para sa kabutihan ng lipunan, saka pa lamang masasabing naging bigo ang Masonerya sa kanyang hangarin at layunin.
I believe that it is in this sense that the universality of masonry must be looked upon. Masons from whatever jurisdiction are Masons who have also been imbibed with the noble tenets of brotherly love, relief, and truth. There had been many accounts of American masons helping and working with, and even collaborating with Spanish and Filipino Masons during the early years of independence knowing fully well that they belonged to jurisdictions that had no fraternal relations; but they worked together for the sake of what is good for our country then.
Ako'y naniniwalang ang Masonerya bilang isang organisasyon o samahan ay may mga limitasyon at pansariling paniniwala para sa pagtataguyod ng kanyang katatagan. Subali't ito'y pinapangibabawan ng isang mas makabuluhang pananaw -- na ang Masonerya ay isang pamamaraan ng buhay na nagpapataas ng antas ng kaalaman upang ang isang tinaguriang tunay na Mason ay maging positibong impluwensya sa buhay at galaw ng lipunan.
Nawa'y maging mabiyaya at maligaya para sa ating mga Mason ang pagdiriwang na ito ng Araw ng Kalayaan sa ating bansa. Mabuhay ang Pilipinas; Mabuhay ang Masonerya!
Friday, June 13, 2008
Walk the Masonic Light - By MWBro Reynato S. Puno
"This was the speech of MW Reynato S. Puno, PGM, GMH and Chief Justice of the Philippines delivered during the testimonial dinner tendered in his honor by the Provincial Grand Lodge of the Philippines of the Royal Order of Scotland two weeks ago. (at the *Festive Board, Royal Order of Scotland, Provincial Grand Lodge of the Philippines, May 31,2008, Elks Club, Corinthian Plaza Bldg., Paseo de Roxas, Makati.)
Would like to share them with you."
MW Jimmy Y. Gonzales (PGM)
Walk the Masonic Light* by Chief Justice Reynato S. Puno, Supreme Court
"My message to you is a short one: walk the Light of Masonry.
It may be short but throughout the ages, masonic scholars have excavated its esoteric dimensions and have yet to exhaust the range of its latitude and longtitude.
Without fearing any contradiction, I say that there is no universal institution, outside of organized churches, that has invested so much of its time and talent searching for the Light than the masonic fraternity.
To be sure, as we travel through life, as we complete our pilgrimage in this planet, we shall endlessly be preoccupied with the need to walk the Light. For a moment, allow me therefore to revisit with you the world of masonry.
When we knocked at the door of masonry, we were seized by one overwhelming desire – the desire to be brought from darkness to Light. Thus, we were pointedly asked the question:
'Being in a condition of darkness, what do you most desire?' To that question, our one word answer is 'Light.'
In a most unforgettable fashion, we were then shown the Light by which masons work – the Great Light, the Holy Scripture. And we were presented with the lamb skin apron to remind us of the never enduring argument for nobler deeds, higher thoughts and greater achievements.
In other words, we were reminded of the need to be illumined by the Great Light of masonry, the Holy Scripture in our worldly words and deeds. Again, we should recall the drama of Hiram Abiff. That drama espouses lessons that can be the subject of open ended expositions in our lifetime.
Let me, however, just select one shred of its rich fibre in relation to my message, walk the Light. The drama of Hiram Abiff tells us how we lost the Light; it identifies to us the causes of darkness in our life. This is all succinctly explained by a masonic scholar, viz:
'This tragedy of Hiram Abiff… is not the record of any vulgar, brutal murder of an individual man. It is a parable of cosmic and universal loss; an allegory of the breakdown of a divine scheme. We are dealing with no calamity that occurred during the erection of a building in an eastern city, but with a moral disaster to universal humanity.
Hiram is slain; in other words, the faculty of enlightened wisdom has been cut off from us. It is not the death of the human body that is alluded to here. It is the death of the personality, of the self-centered ego, before the Spiritual Self can be born. This secret of spiritual birth is known to antiquity. Paul, the Apostle wrote: 'I die daily … Thou fool, that which thou sowest is not made alive, except it die.'" (1Cor. 15:31, 36).
In fine, masonry teaches us that man is a different creature; that he has a higher nature; that created in the image of God, he has a divine aspect; that he has the capacity to develop this higher nature. Above all, that he can attain this objective, but only with the help of GAOTU.
Our hope, therefore does not lie in ourselves, however wise we are; it does not lie in institutions, however venerable they are. Our hope lies above us; it lies in the letter G. Again, this explains why the first qualification of a mason is belief in God. And as a man of the cloth pointed out, belief presupposes we have to listen to God.
I remember one story about Joan of Arc, the patron saint of France. Joan ofArc often said that it is God who tells her what to do. Once she was asked in an interview why she claims God only talks to her. She said: 'Your question is wrong. God talks to all of us but it is only I who listen.'
Come to think how pertinent the legend of Hiram Abiff is to our lives today. Is it not true that men (masons not excluded) falter in following the Light because they have become indifferent to the demands for them to develop their higher nature and so they succumb either to the seduction of pleasure, the allurement of power, the enticement of property and the safety of indifferentism.
Dr.Margaret Mead, a famous anthropologist and author bewailed modern man's switch of emphasis to pleasure, power and property. She observed that in the old days, people part by bidding each other 'Good Be' which is the short form of God be with you. Today, she observed, we part by advising each other to "take it easy."
A minister was correct in saying the modern devil no longer says God is Dead for that is an indefensible proposition but instead says God is not yet coming, there is plenty of time and take it easy.
Masonry further tells us that the struggle to walk the Light is a long unending struggle and demands extreme endurance. By no means is it an easy struggle, for we are advised to fight life's vices with virtue; we are asked to engage evil in actual battles and not to retreat in the barracks of life.
To walk is to move, to act; hence, you cannot walk the Light by inaction. Inaction. Let me submit that this is the one word that describes what has plagued Philippine masonry since the last half of the 20th century.
The question that has inconvenienced the fraternity is why it appears to have lost its luster. For quite sadly, masonry appears to have ceased to be a continuing source of heroes, after masons spearheaded the revolution of 1898 against Spain that gave us our political independence.
Quite understandably, our people have developed an ennui on our claim to greatness that has already been embalmed by time and of interest only to historians of the old world. Whether we like it or not, we have to demonstrate that masonry has more than anthropological value. And I respectfully submit that masonry today carries the good potential to produce leaders who can handhold our people to a new renaissance, a rebirth based on the masonic principles of truths, justice, equality and charity.
Unquestionably, our country is beset by a variety of problems more serious than those which confronted it during the times of Rizal and Bonifacio. Time constrains a more authoritative discussion of these problems that have reduced us to be a basket case in Asia. But in simplistic terms, let us not delude ourselves in the romanticism that our people now livein complete freedom.
The truth that hurts is that the so called sovereignty of our people is no more than a paper sovereignty. It is a sovereignty written in the Constitution but not rooted in reality. For where is the sovereignty of the people when its elections of public officials are farcical? Where is the sovereignty of the people when they are ruled by dynasties of politicians who are worse than the medieval monarchs?
Where is the sovereignty of the people when they are controlled by vested business interest whose empires are run by relentless greed? Where is the sovereignty of the people when government barters away their interest in favor of foreign states and their multinationals?
A people that is poor, a people that is mired in poverty, a people that lives day to day on a begging bowl will never be a free people. The strongest chain that manacles the hands of a people, the biggest prison house in the world, is poverty.
If I relate all these, it is to lift the blinders in our eyes that hides the ugly reality that the Filipino today need to be freed -- freed from home grown oppressors and freed from the assaults of foreign interest, especially assaults directed at his breadbasket.
In fine, if masonry is losing its relevance in our country, it is not because its teachings are irrelevant for concededly, its teachings are timeless. If masonry is losing its appeal to our people, it is not because it has run out of battles to fight for them, for these battles have widened into wars.
If Filipino masonry appears to be destined to the dustbin of history, it is because, unlike the Rizals and the Bonifacios, today's masons have not matched their masonic beliefs with masonic behavior.
The Holy Scriptures tell us that faith without action is dead. So it is with masonry, for masonry in theory is fine but masonry in practice is masonry in its finest.
A pleasant evening to all."
____________ _________ _________ __
* Festive Board, Royal Order of Scotland, Provincial Grand Lodge of the Philippines, May 31, 2008, Elks Club, Corinthian Plaza Bldg., Paseo de Roxas, Makati.
(Emailed by Bro Ricardo (Dick) F. Otero, Jr., Bagong Buhay Lodge # 17, Cavite City, Unity Lodge # 285, Olongapo City.)
Would like to share them with you."
MW Jimmy Y. Gonzales (PGM)
Walk the Masonic Light* by Chief Justice Reynato S. Puno, Supreme Court
"My message to you is a short one: walk the Light of Masonry.
It may be short but throughout the ages, masonic scholars have excavated its esoteric dimensions and have yet to exhaust the range of its latitude and longtitude.
Without fearing any contradiction, I say that there is no universal institution, outside of organized churches, that has invested so much of its time and talent searching for the Light than the masonic fraternity.
To be sure, as we travel through life, as we complete our pilgrimage in this planet, we shall endlessly be preoccupied with the need to walk the Light. For a moment, allow me therefore to revisit with you the world of masonry.
When we knocked at the door of masonry, we were seized by one overwhelming desire – the desire to be brought from darkness to Light. Thus, we were pointedly asked the question:
'Being in a condition of darkness, what do you most desire?' To that question, our one word answer is 'Light.'
In a most unforgettable fashion, we were then shown the Light by which masons work – the Great Light, the Holy Scripture. And we were presented with the lamb skin apron to remind us of the never enduring argument for nobler deeds, higher thoughts and greater achievements.
In other words, we were reminded of the need to be illumined by the Great Light of masonry, the Holy Scripture in our worldly words and deeds. Again, we should recall the drama of Hiram Abiff. That drama espouses lessons that can be the subject of open ended expositions in our lifetime.
Let me, however, just select one shred of its rich fibre in relation to my message, walk the Light. The drama of Hiram Abiff tells us how we lost the Light; it identifies to us the causes of darkness in our life. This is all succinctly explained by a masonic scholar, viz:
'This tragedy of Hiram Abiff… is not the record of any vulgar, brutal murder of an individual man. It is a parable of cosmic and universal loss; an allegory of the breakdown of a divine scheme. We are dealing with no calamity that occurred during the erection of a building in an eastern city, but with a moral disaster to universal humanity.
Hiram is slain; in other words, the faculty of enlightened wisdom has been cut off from us. It is not the death of the human body that is alluded to here. It is the death of the personality, of the self-centered ego, before the Spiritual Self can be born. This secret of spiritual birth is known to antiquity. Paul, the Apostle wrote: 'I die daily … Thou fool, that which thou sowest is not made alive, except it die.'" (1Cor. 15:31, 36).
In fine, masonry teaches us that man is a different creature; that he has a higher nature; that created in the image of God, he has a divine aspect; that he has the capacity to develop this higher nature. Above all, that he can attain this objective, but only with the help of GAOTU.
Our hope, therefore does not lie in ourselves, however wise we are; it does not lie in institutions, however venerable they are. Our hope lies above us; it lies in the letter G. Again, this explains why the first qualification of a mason is belief in God. And as a man of the cloth pointed out, belief presupposes we have to listen to God.
I remember one story about Joan of Arc, the patron saint of France. Joan ofArc often said that it is God who tells her what to do. Once she was asked in an interview why she claims God only talks to her. She said: 'Your question is wrong. God talks to all of us but it is only I who listen.'
Come to think how pertinent the legend of Hiram Abiff is to our lives today. Is it not true that men (masons not excluded) falter in following the Light because they have become indifferent to the demands for them to develop their higher nature and so they succumb either to the seduction of pleasure, the allurement of power, the enticement of property and the safety of indifferentism.
Dr.Margaret Mead, a famous anthropologist and author bewailed modern man's switch of emphasis to pleasure, power and property. She observed that in the old days, people part by bidding each other 'Good Be' which is the short form of God be with you. Today, she observed, we part by advising each other to "take it easy."
A minister was correct in saying the modern devil no longer says God is Dead for that is an indefensible proposition but instead says God is not yet coming, there is plenty of time and take it easy.
Masonry further tells us that the struggle to walk the Light is a long unending struggle and demands extreme endurance. By no means is it an easy struggle, for we are advised to fight life's vices with virtue; we are asked to engage evil in actual battles and not to retreat in the barracks of life.
To walk is to move, to act; hence, you cannot walk the Light by inaction. Inaction. Let me submit that this is the one word that describes what has plagued Philippine masonry since the last half of the 20th century.
The question that has inconvenienced the fraternity is why it appears to have lost its luster. For quite sadly, masonry appears to have ceased to be a continuing source of heroes, after masons spearheaded the revolution of 1898 against Spain that gave us our political independence.
Quite understandably, our people have developed an ennui on our claim to greatness that has already been embalmed by time and of interest only to historians of the old world. Whether we like it or not, we have to demonstrate that masonry has more than anthropological value. And I respectfully submit that masonry today carries the good potential to produce leaders who can handhold our people to a new renaissance, a rebirth based on the masonic principles of truths, justice, equality and charity.
Unquestionably, our country is beset by a variety of problems more serious than those which confronted it during the times of Rizal and Bonifacio. Time constrains a more authoritative discussion of these problems that have reduced us to be a basket case in Asia. But in simplistic terms, let us not delude ourselves in the romanticism that our people now livein complete freedom.
The truth that hurts is that the so called sovereignty of our people is no more than a paper sovereignty. It is a sovereignty written in the Constitution but not rooted in reality. For where is the sovereignty of the people when its elections of public officials are farcical? Where is the sovereignty of the people when they are ruled by dynasties of politicians who are worse than the medieval monarchs?
Where is the sovereignty of the people when they are controlled by vested business interest whose empires are run by relentless greed? Where is the sovereignty of the people when government barters away their interest in favor of foreign states and their multinationals?
A people that is poor, a people that is mired in poverty, a people that lives day to day on a begging bowl will never be a free people. The strongest chain that manacles the hands of a people, the biggest prison house in the world, is poverty.
If I relate all these, it is to lift the blinders in our eyes that hides the ugly reality that the Filipino today need to be freed -- freed from home grown oppressors and freed from the assaults of foreign interest, especially assaults directed at his breadbasket.
In fine, if masonry is losing its relevance in our country, it is not because its teachings are irrelevant for concededly, its teachings are timeless. If masonry is losing its appeal to our people, it is not because it has run out of battles to fight for them, for these battles have widened into wars.
If Filipino masonry appears to be destined to the dustbin of history, it is because, unlike the Rizals and the Bonifacios, today's masons have not matched their masonic beliefs with masonic behavior.
The Holy Scriptures tell us that faith without action is dead. So it is with masonry, for masonry in theory is fine but masonry in practice is masonry in its finest.
A pleasant evening to all."
____________ _________ _________ __
* Festive Board, Royal Order of Scotland, Provincial Grand Lodge of the Philippines, May 31, 2008, Elks Club, Corinthian Plaza Bldg., Paseo de Roxas, Makati.
(Emailed by Bro Ricardo (Dick) F. Otero, Jr., Bagong Buhay Lodge # 17, Cavite City, Unity Lodge # 285, Olongapo City.)
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Masonic Ritual: In Due Form
Below is an excerpt from an article "Due Form" by an unknown Masonic author, as published in the classic SHORT TALK BULLETIN series - Vol. VI February, 1928 No. 2. To read the full unabridged article, please click on the title, or here.
"Why does Masonry insist so strictly upon exactness in its Ritual? There is a profound reason, not to be forgotten or ignored. True, it is the Spirit, not the Letter, that giveth life; but the Letter does give a Body, without which the Spirit of Masonry would be a formless blur, losing much of its meaning, if not all of its beauty. Ceremony keeps things up; without form the spirit melts into thin air and is lost.
What is true of Masonry is equally true of religion , of manners and of art. The Poet Tennyson speaks of those, “whose faith hath center everywhere, nor cares to fix itself in form.” That is, they believe in everything in general and nothing in particular. Their faith is like the earth in the story of creation, as the Bible tells it, “without form and void;” a vague sentiment, as flimsy as a mist and as frail.
Manners, it has been said, are minor morals. That is, they are forms of a social ritual in which the spirit of courtesy and amenity finds expression. So essential are they as a form of social fellowship, that, as Emerson said, if they were lost, some gentlemen would be obliged to re-invent such a code. The phrase, “It is not done,” has more than mere convention behind it. It bespeaks a standard, a sense of propriety, a fineness of feeling, a respect for the rights and feelings of others.
Some of our modern artists are trying to throw off the old classic forms of music, painting and poetry. The result is chaos, a formless riot of color and sound, in which a horse may be green and a song a mere mob of notes, without melody. Without lovely form the spirit of beauty fades and is lost. Ages of experience have wrought out noble forms of art and life, which we cannot defy or ignore without disaster.
The same is true of Masonry. Gentle, wise, mellow with age; its gracious spirit has fashioned a form, or body, or an art; if we call it so, in which its peculiar genius finds expression. Its old and lovely ritual, if rightly used, evokes the Spirit of Masonry, as each of us can testify. The mere opening of a Lodge creates a Masonic atmosphere in which the truths of Masonry seem more real and true. It weaves a spell about us, making fellowship gracious. It is a mystery; we love it, without caring to analyze it.
By the same token, if the rhythm of the ritual is bungled, or slurred, or dealt with hastily or without dignity; its beauty is marred and its spell broken. Just imagine the opening of Lodge, or any one of the Degrees, jazzed up, rushed through with, and how horrible it would be. The soul of Masonry would be sacrificed, and its spirit evaporated. For that reason we cannot take too much pains in giving the ritual such a rendering as befits its dignity, its solemnity and its haunting beauty.
No wonder Masonry is jealous of its ceremonies and symbols. It hesitates to make the slightest change, even when errors have crept into the ritual, lest something precious is lost. Indeed, it is always seeking “that which is lost,” not alone in its great Secret, but in all its symbols which enshrine a wisdom gray with age, often but dimly seen, and sorely needed in the hurry and medley of our giddy-paced age.
Mere formalism is always a danger. Even a lofty ritual may become a rigmarole, a thing of rut and rote. Sublime truths may be repeated like a parrot, as the creed in a church may be recited without thought or feeling, by force of habit. Still, such a habit is worth keeping, and often the uttering of great words stirs the heart with a sense of the cargoes of wonder which they hold, for such as have ears to hear.
No matter; our fear of formalism - its mockery and unreality - must not blind us to the necessity of noble, stately and lovely form in which to utter and embody the truths that make us men. For that reason every part of the ritual ought to have Due Form, nothing skimped or performed perfunctorily, in order that the wise, good and beautiful truth of Masonry may have full expression and give us its full blessing. Only so can we get from it what it has to give us for our good."
"Why does Masonry insist so strictly upon exactness in its Ritual? There is a profound reason, not to be forgotten or ignored. True, it is the Spirit, not the Letter, that giveth life; but the Letter does give a Body, without which the Spirit of Masonry would be a formless blur, losing much of its meaning, if not all of its beauty. Ceremony keeps things up; without form the spirit melts into thin air and is lost.
What is true of Masonry is equally true of religion , of manners and of art. The Poet Tennyson speaks of those, “whose faith hath center everywhere, nor cares to fix itself in form.” That is, they believe in everything in general and nothing in particular. Their faith is like the earth in the story of creation, as the Bible tells it, “without form and void;” a vague sentiment, as flimsy as a mist and as frail.
Manners, it has been said, are minor morals. That is, they are forms of a social ritual in which the spirit of courtesy and amenity finds expression. So essential are they as a form of social fellowship, that, as Emerson said, if they were lost, some gentlemen would be obliged to re-invent such a code. The phrase, “It is not done,” has more than mere convention behind it. It bespeaks a standard, a sense of propriety, a fineness of feeling, a respect for the rights and feelings of others.
Some of our modern artists are trying to throw off the old classic forms of music, painting and poetry. The result is chaos, a formless riot of color and sound, in which a horse may be green and a song a mere mob of notes, without melody. Without lovely form the spirit of beauty fades and is lost. Ages of experience have wrought out noble forms of art and life, which we cannot defy or ignore without disaster.
The same is true of Masonry. Gentle, wise, mellow with age; its gracious spirit has fashioned a form, or body, or an art; if we call it so, in which its peculiar genius finds expression. Its old and lovely ritual, if rightly used, evokes the Spirit of Masonry, as each of us can testify. The mere opening of a Lodge creates a Masonic atmosphere in which the truths of Masonry seem more real and true. It weaves a spell about us, making fellowship gracious. It is a mystery; we love it, without caring to analyze it.
By the same token, if the rhythm of the ritual is bungled, or slurred, or dealt with hastily or without dignity; its beauty is marred and its spell broken. Just imagine the opening of Lodge, or any one of the Degrees, jazzed up, rushed through with, and how horrible it would be. The soul of Masonry would be sacrificed, and its spirit evaporated. For that reason we cannot take too much pains in giving the ritual such a rendering as befits its dignity, its solemnity and its haunting beauty.
No wonder Masonry is jealous of its ceremonies and symbols. It hesitates to make the slightest change, even when errors have crept into the ritual, lest something precious is lost. Indeed, it is always seeking “that which is lost,” not alone in its great Secret, but in all its symbols which enshrine a wisdom gray with age, often but dimly seen, and sorely needed in the hurry and medley of our giddy-paced age.
Mere formalism is always a danger. Even a lofty ritual may become a rigmarole, a thing of rut and rote. Sublime truths may be repeated like a parrot, as the creed in a church may be recited without thought or feeling, by force of habit. Still, such a habit is worth keeping, and often the uttering of great words stirs the heart with a sense of the cargoes of wonder which they hold, for such as have ears to hear.
No matter; our fear of formalism - its mockery and unreality - must not blind us to the necessity of noble, stately and lovely form in which to utter and embody the truths that make us men. For that reason every part of the ritual ought to have Due Form, nothing skimped or performed perfunctorily, in order that the wise, good and beautiful truth of Masonry may have full expression and give us its full blessing. Only so can we get from it what it has to give us for our good."
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