Be a Unifier

by Midnight Freemason Guest Contributor

WB Christopher Hathaway

A Scottish Rite Mason ought to be a unifier. Any 32nd Degree Mason that truly follows our order understands this. The core values of the Scottish Rite, NMJ are Reverence for God, Integrity, Justice, Toleration, Devotion to Country, and Service to Humanity. These are all unifying qualities that can help bridge the gap we see amongst our friends and family. I will explain these values in terms of unity. 

Reverence for God: We need to understand we are all children of the same Heavenly Father. How can we revere God if we hate his children? Let us stop putting each other into camps and start humanizing each other. Conversations will be gentler, kinder, and more productive. 

Integrity: To be in unity with someone, you must trust them. Being a person of integrity will allow others to be open to you, listen to your ideas, and share their most vulnerable thoughts. A person without integrity cannot lead people who agree with them, let alone trying to unify people of differing opinions. 

Justice: Scottish Rite Freemasons must always seek justice. To find justice, we must rely on a core principle of a Freemason, truth. Truth and justice can be slow, deliberate, and boring. As a unifier, we need to be slow to pass judgment but quick to call for truth and justice even if it's painful and time-consuming. 

Toleration: To tolerate the opposition, we must listen to understand and not just to reply. We must respect their perspective and only argue their idea, not attack their character. Tolerating someone is more than just getting along. It is about finding common ground and presenting the best ideas from all sides. 

Devotion to County: You cannot be devoted to this country if you are okay with a division that is so deep that neither side can come to the table to achieve anything. We cannot continue to speak in echo chambers and dismiss anyone who disagrees with us. Diversity of thought is a strength. It will take unifiers working together to ensure we do not shut out the opposing side. 

Service to Humanity:  Are you more of service to humanity volunteering at the local food pantry or arguing politics on Facebook? How much time do we waste trying to prove we are right instead of helping the needy? How many networking opportunities are lost because we delete each other or because we refuse to associate with the other side? 

Freemasonry is local. This is where we need to start. We start with our Facebook friends, our neighbors, our colleagues, our lodges, and our city councils. The next time you are about to write a divisive comment to prove your point, ask yourself if there is a more productive way to discuss your thoughts through the lens of a Scottish Rite Mason. 

To quote the Scottish Rite Creed of the Southern Jurisdiction:

“Human progress is our cause,
liberty of thought our supreme wish,
freedom of conscience our mission,
and the guarantee of equal rights to all people everywhere our ultimate goal.”

~CJH

WB Christopher J. Hathaway was raised in Catlin Masonic Lodge #285 and is the current Worshipful Master of Bloomington Masonic Lodge #43. He belongs to the Valley of Danville, AASR where he is the Most Wise Master of the George E. Burow Chapter of Rose Croix and Membership Chairman. Other appendant bodies include the Gao Grotto, Mohammed Shriners, and the Illinois Lodge of Research. Outside of the lodge, he enjoys spending time with his wife Taylor and cheering on the Fighting Illini and Chicago Cubs. 

United We Stand

by Senior Midnight Freemason Contributor

WB Gregory J. Knott

September 11, 2001 I was angry, I cried, I was distraught, I was confused and countless other emotions that most Americans felt. It was the worst day in my lifetime of attacks on the American homeland. 

September 12, 2001 I woke up as most American’s did and tried to begin to figure out what happened in New York City, Washington DC and Shanksville, PA. From coast to coast we united as one country, as Americans. We weren’t white, black, hispanic, asian, native american or other ethnicities, we were simply AMERICANS.

People flocked to church to pray for those lost in the attacks, blood drives were going full force, flags were flying from every big and small town, members of both parties in the United States Congress gathered on the capitol steps to sing together. Our first responders were our heroes as they selflessly rushed into the crash sites to help others, and so many of them gave their lives doing so. People flooded recruiting stations to sign up for the military, such as United States Army Sergeant Major Thomas P. Payne, who was recently awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for gallantry in Iraq.

We stood side by side with a determination to pull our country together in a show of unity that I hadn’t seen before in my lifetime or since. United we stood.

19 years later, our country is bitterly divided along ethnic lines, political parties, rural vs urban vs suburban, young vs old, etc. What happened to that feeling of September 12, 2001? Divided we fall.

I won’t get into deep speculation of why we are so divided. My view is 24/7 news channels, social media, the decline of social capital in our communities, and more is just a small part of the problem.

But I belong to an organization that brings men together of every race, of every religion and from every status of life. We meet in a lodge where you can check all of those differences at the door and enter a sanctuary where every person is absolutely equal with one another. A warm handshake (before COVID), a sincere greeting and a deep sense of caring for each other await you. Of course I am speaking of Freemasonry.

Freemasonry absolutely has the framework that can help solve so many of the world's trevails today. You enter a lodge, engage with other brothers, learning from them, helping them, all the while being on the level with them. You leave the lodge a better person and go back into the greater world and apply those principles we talk about and learn about in our degrees. You are instantly part of the solution instead of part of the problem.

So I challenge all of us as Freemasons to use those lessons and put them to work in your community, at home, in your place of worship, on the job and as you use social media. Be the example and others will soon begin to take notice and your positive influence will rub off on them.

Be a light in the darkness. United we stand.

~GJK

WB Gregory J. Knott is a founding member and Senior Contributor of the Midnight Freemasons blog. He is a Past Master of St. Joseph Lodge No. 970 in St. Joseph (IL) and a plural member of Ogden Lodge No. 754 (IL), Homer Lodge No. 199 (IL) and Naval Lodge No. 4 in Washington, DC. He’s a member of the Scottish Rite, the York Rite, Eastern Star and is the Charter Secretary of the Illini High Twelve Club No. 768 in Champaign-Urbana. He is also a member of ANSAR Shrine (IL) and the Eastern Illinois Council No. 356 Allied Masonic Degrees. Greg serves on the Board of Directors of The Masonic Society and is a member of the Scottish Rite Research Society and The Philathes Society. He is a charter member of a new Illinois Royal Arch Chapter, Admiration Chapter U.D. and serves as its Secretary. Greg is very involved in Boy Scouts—an Eagle Scout himself, he is a member of the National Association of Masonic Scouters. You can contact him at gknott63@gmail.com

How Good it is for Brethren to Dwell Together in Unity

by Midnight Freemason Contributor

WB Gregory J. Knott

On a recent trip to Washington DC, I had the honor of visiting Potomac Lodge No. 5.   Potomac Lodge is located in the heart of the Georgetown area of DC.  It was a fantastic night for a visit as the Entered Apprentice degree was being conducted that night.  In addition Corinthian Lodge No. 18 of the Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge of the District of Columbia was visiting.

The lodge room of Potomac Lodge No. 5 in Washington DC

One of the first things you notice in any visit to a DC lodge is diverse array of brethren that are in attendance.  These brethren are from all walks of life, many of whom are career military, work in government or are civilian contractors.  

Though I didn’t personally know any of the brethren, I was welcomed like a long lost friend.  We had dinner before the meeting, where the conversation was both interesting and enlightening.  

As with every lodge, Potomac Lodge has many historical artifacts in their possession.  But no other lodge in the world has the gavel that George Washington used at the laying of the cornerstone of the United States Capitol building.    The actual gavel is stored in a bank vault across the street from the lodge.

The brethren of Potomac Lodge did a fantastic job with the ritual and floor work.  Four new brethren were initiated as Entered Apprentice’s that night.  You could feel a true sense of excitement in the room as these new brothers began their Masonic journey.

It was a great pleasure to also meet the brethren of Corinthian Lodge who are some of the finest Masons I have ever met.  There seriousness in regards to the craft was obvious.

Brethren of Corinthian Lodge No. 18 MWGLPHDC who were visiting Potomac Lodge.

I encourage you to visit a lodge in DC if you ever have the opportunity.  You will find the brethren friendly and ready to welcome you.   I have found the visits so gratifying myself that I became a plural member of Naval Lodge No. 4 in 2014.  It is truly an opportunity to “Dwell together in Unity.”

~GJK

WB Gregory J. Knott is the Past Master of St. Joseph Lodge No. 970 in St. Joseph (IL) and a plural member of Ogden Lodge No. 754 (IL), Homer Lodge No. 199 (IL) and Naval Lodge No. 4 in Washington, DC. He’s a member of the Scottish Rite, the York Rite, Eastern Star and is the Charter Secretary of the Illini High Twelve Club No. 768 in Champaign-Urbana. He is also a member of ANSAR Shrine (IL) and the Eastern Illinois Council No. 356 Allied Masonic Degrees. Greg serves on the Board of Directors of The Masonic Society and is a member of the Scottish Rite Research Society and The Philathes Society. Greg is very involved in Boy Scouts—an Eagle Scout himself, he is a member of the National Association of Masonic Scouters