How does Freemasonry make good men better?

by Midnight Freemason Contributor

Bro. Michael Arce

I was just a little over halfway into my 40-minute run. I have been training to run my first 10K this year; when races reopen, I will be ready. Next to my faithful running partner, my dog Samantha and my favorite running shoes, the Nike Run Club (NRC) app is my companion for every morning run. I had just made the turn at the mid-way point that morning when she delivered a sentence struck me to the core; its intent carried past the finish line.

"Good parents are good teachers. Good parents are good coaches."

Paula Radcliffe is a marathon world record holder. She joined Nike Running Coach Cory Wharton-Malcolm on "Run with Paula," in the NRC app. During the 40-minute run, Paula shared her incredible story of how she trained to set the Women's World Marathon Record with a time of 2:15:25. One would assume that her story would include a rigorous training schedule; it did with details of the specific endurance tactics she used to build her strength and speed abilities in Colorado. Her story also included a series of personal setbacks, a string of top-five finishes in cross-country races before clinching the first-place spot. And like any champion, Paula also had to overcome injuries, including a surgery that sidelined her for almost a year.

What caught my attention was when Coach Cory asked her about her starting line. Typically, a runner describes the day of "their big run," the race that put them on the map in the sport. Radcliffe briefly paused then began to set the stage for the London Marathon, Coach Cory jumped in, assuming she was going to detail the 2003 race when Radcliffe set her last women's marathon world record. She corrected him. Her starting line was the 1983 London Marathon. She recalled watching Ingrid Kristiansen, one of the best female long-distance runners in the 80s, zoom past her as she stood in the crowd. Radcliffe related it a slow-motion fly-by, and at that moment, wanted to capture that feeling for herself.

Paula Radcliffe was blessed with the talent of running. She developed her skill for competition through her father, an amateur marathon runner. Radcliffe summarized her father's influence by saying, "good parents are good teachers. Good parents are good coaches." It was at that moment that my mind connected to Masonry. I had found my answer to the question of how Freemasonry makes good men, better!

Every summer, I pick up my ritual book to study a particular section of the work. This year I am examining the degree Charges. These are essential portions of our degrees that can sometimes be overlooked by the end of the evening. I reached out to Bro. Timothy Stockton (Evening Star Lodge #75 and Mount Zion #311) who has impressed me with his proficiency and mastery of the Charges. He summarized that the charges convey what to do with the esoteric aspects and teachings communicated through the ritual. Our conversation focused on how the Charges aid in making us a better man and parent.

An Entered Apprentice is a newly made Mason, still learning his footing in the Craft. The first degree centers around the individual's relationship with God. There are two versions of Charge in the Standard and Work of the Grand Lodge of the State of New York. Both speak to the importance of obedience, not just in society, but also demand respect shown toward God. One of Bro. Stockton's favorite lines are grounded on our duty and debt as a Freemason and upright man to God. As a father of three young children, Bro. Stockton bids to impress that into the mind of his oldest son, Nate, who is eight-years-old. "It's an admonishment on how to behave. I try to convince my son how to act in a certain situation. For myself, I am reminded that I need to be an upright man, one who is patient with my children."

In the first degree, we learn the hierarchy of God, neighbors, and self. Bro. Stockton shared an interesting perspective; one lost on this father of teenagers. He related this idea to how children form their perception of leadership based on their home life. Children possess a natural curiosity to seek order in life. There was a smile in his voice when he spoke of the surprise his son displayed when he learned that Daddy has a boss, who has a boss... How the Charge mirrors the social structures that society follows.

My favorite Charge is in the second degree. In my jurisdiction, the Fellowcraft Charge has two versions. The first edition contains a moral which extends the lesson of the Point Within A Circle we are introduced to in the first degree. We are taught to be mindful of our personal contact with others. In our second version of the Charge, we are told to act peacefully among fellow Masons. As the first degree focuses on the individual, the Fellowcraft degree pertains to our relationships with others, including our Brothers. To them, we must be fair when judging their acts. I found myself pulling inspiration from this work when speaking with my son about one of his close friends he was at odds with.

While I may not completely understand the details of the situation, I can now see why my Dad would make a specific face when I shared my teenage drama. From what I could process, my thirteen-year-old son and his friend got into an argument while playing basketball that extended to a fallout when playing basketball online. I had to hold in my laughter when my son described his experience. It was easy for me to remember being a middle schooler who would "unfriend" a best friend over a stupid argument, only to be best friends again end of the week. I used this opportunity to teach my son why we accept apologies, the meaning of forgiveness, and acceptance.

When you re-read the Charges (again, there are two in my jurisdiction) in the Master Mason degree, how does the word respect, not come to mind? The teaching of this degree places the duty of being the best man, son, husband, or father on YOU. We also learn how we should view our place in life; we come last. That we, as individuals, are not what is important. Our focus should be on God first, then others. "I do that with my kids in terms of the prayers we make at the dinner table. God comes first, neighbors and loved ones come second, we are last - in that order. Those parallels connect the ritual to my everyday life," Bro. Stockton added.

~MA

Brother Michael Arce is a member of Mt. Vernon Lodge #3 in Albany, New York. When not in Lodge, Bro. Arce is the Marketing Manager for Capital Cardiology Associates in Albany, New York. He enjoys meeting new Brothers and hearing how the Craft has enriched their lives. He can be reached at michael.arce@me.com

A Good Man

by Midnight Freemason Contributor

WB Darin A. Lahners

Last night, The Scottish Rite Northern Masonic Jurisdiction hosted a live video stream on the topic: ”Do Nice Guys Really Finish Last? Masonry and the True Meaning of Being a Man”. This parallels the entire idea of Freemasonry taking Good Men and making them better. The fallacy of this is that we are assuming all of our members are Good Men. Being A good man is perceived subjectively. I can only speak from personal experience. For many years of my life in my 30's, I was not a good man. If the interview committee of my mother lodge had done a proper job, they would have discovered this. You see, if the west gate had been properly guarded, there’s no way I should have been elected to Freemasonry.

I had engaged in behaviors that were selfish, reckless and pretty-- much against everything our institution stands for. Had my behaviors not been exposed, I probably would have continued them. I had hit rock bottom in my life. However, I truly believe everything happens for a reason. We learn to walk properly as an infant by falling down and pulling outselves back up. Eventually, You have to pull yourself up when you've hit rock bottom or your behaviors will kill you. Luckily a few years later I was admitted into the fraternity. Freemasonry, along with therapy, gave me tools to help me ensure that I never again become that man.

My wider point is that if I’m one example of who was let into the Fraternity, then there must be many other members like me. Men who have made terrible mistakes. We all have at some point. We need only look at our own lodge rooms at the mosaic pavement to be reminded that our life is made up of both Good and Evil. John 8:7 reminds us that we all have sinned at some point in our lives. However, is that what we want for our Fraternity?

I have seen many of my brothers on various Masonic Facebook groups and forums talk about Freemasonry being a modern mystery school. We’re not a mystery school. If we want to be considered a modern mystery school, then we need to cull our membership. You heard me. I’m guessing less than 1% of the total Masonic Population world-wide would be able to remain a member of the Fraternity if we want to be considered a Mystery School. To oversimplify it, only those (men and women) who underwent an elaborate process of purification and initiation were welcomed into the “mystery religions” of Ancient Egypt and Greece. Pythagoras, who is mentioned as one of our ancient Brothers within the craft, spent 22 years as an initiate in the mysteries in Egypt before establishing his own school. Could you imagine waiting 22 years before becoming a Master Mason? If you want Freemasonry to be a Mystery School, that’s what needs to happen.

Once again using myself as an example. My petition was read on 8/4/2011. I was elected on 9/1/2011. I was initiated as an Entered Apprentice on 9/19/2011, passed to the degree of Fellowcraft on 11/07/2011, and raised to the Sublime Degree of Master Mason on 11/28/2011. Does that look like an elaborate process of purification and initiation? Even though I had begun my journey of self-improvement after behaving like excrement for so many years, I had not purified myself. I would honestly say I still haven’t purified myself 100 percent. I barely think that the 3 months between my EA and MM degree qualifies as an elaborate process of initiation. Say nothing of those men who go through all three degrees in a single day. I’m not mocking my brothers who have done this. I’m just saying that “according to Hoyle”, myself, my brethren from one-day classes, and many other brethren do not qualify for the modern Freemasonic Mystery School.

The ancient mystery schools taught or allowed only one religion. One of the beauties of our craft is its ability to bring together men of different religious backgrounds and allow them to sit equally in harmony and fellowship. This is the antithesis of a mystery school. The members of the mystery schools were not only dedicated, but quite often they were from the top level of society at the time. Most of the initiates of the Egyptian mysteries were priests, or from royal blood. Many have referred the rule of ancient Egypt as the government of initiates. If you want Freemasonry to be a mystery school, then see my above comment, we need to cull membership. I’m guessing that we’d be left with very few members worldwide who are members of the 1% and Freemasons. I know everyone in the three lodges I belong to wouldn’t qualify. We allow men from every socio-economic background to join the Fraternity as long as they meet the other qualifications. Freemasonry as currently constructed therefore cannot be a mystery school.

What remains is what many a Masonic scholar has discovered, which is the idea that the lessons taught in our degrees are a continuation of the mystery school tradition. Alphonse Mariette wrote in Monuments of Upper Egypt, which was published in 1890: “To the initiated of the sanctuary, no doubt, was reserved the knowledge of the God in the abstract, the God concealed in the unfathomable depths of his own essence. But for the less refined adoration of the people were presented the endless images of deities sculptured on the walls of temples.” Lewis Spence wrote about the initiation in the Mystery Schools of Egypt in his work, Ancient Egyptian myths and legends: “The purpose of initiation is a conventional attempt to realize man’s place in the universe and in the divine scheme of things, and for this, I believe, the Egyptian Mystery System achieved for the first time in an orderly and philosophical manner … Have we no lessons to learn from Egypt? Aye, the greatest in the world, the knowledge of that divine introspection which alone can give man the likeness of the Divine.” For those that have done the research into some of the deeper meanings of our degrees, the connections will be apparent.

To answer my question, “Is that what we want for the Fraternity?” I can say this. It’s what we have. We have to accept that we’ve let less than stellar men in the organization. Men who have done terrible things, hurt those they love, and made mistakes. I am one of these men. So I don’t think of myself as a good man. I recently allowed my 16 year old to watch Pulp Fiction with me. *Spoiler Alert* There is a line towards the end of the movie when Jules, (who is an enforcer for a crime boss and portrayed by Samuel Jackson) has a realization after believing himself to be alive due to divine intervention. His line is below and edited from http://www.dailyscript.com/scripts/pulp_fiction.html

“There's a passage I got memorized. Ezekiel 25:17. "The path of the righteous man is beset on all sides by the inequities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men. Blessed is he who, in the name o charity and good will, shepherds the weak through the valley of the darkness. For he is truly the brother's keeper and the finder of lost children. And I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger those who attempt to poison and destroy my brothers. And you will know I am the Lord when I lay my vengeance upon you." I been sayin' that sh** for years. And if you ever heard it, it meant your a**. I never really questioned what it meant. I thought it was just a coldblooded thing to say to a motherf***r 'fore you popped a cap in his a**. But I saw some s**t this mornin' made me think twice. Now I'm thinkin', it could mean you're the evil man. And I'm the righteous man. And Mr. .45 here, he's the shepherd protecting my righteous a**  in the valley of darkness. Or it could be you're the righteous man and I'm the shepherd and it's the world that's evil and selfish. I'd like that. But that sh** ain't the truth. The truth is you're the weak. And I'm the tyranny of evil men. But I'm tryin'. I'm tryin' real hard to be a shepherd.”

The only thing that we can do is try real hard to be a shepherd. Every day. Let our actions define what type of men we are. Right now. Today. Let your Masonic Light shine. Take what we’ve learned. Continue to learn. Don’t forget who you were when you made mistakes because you need that memory so that you never again reach that point. Use the working tools and other tools, like therapy, exercise, and meditation (to name a few), to help you chip those vestiges of the old from your ashlar. Then maybe, just maybe you can be a good man. That's what I hope for. 

~DAL

WB Darin A. Lahners is the Worshipful Master of St. Joseph Lodge No.970 in St. Joseph and a plural member of Ogden Lodge No. 754 (IL), and Homer Lodge No. 199 (IL). He’s a member of the Scottish Rite Valley of Danville, a charter member of the new Illinois Royal Arch Chapter, Admiration Chapter No. 282, and is the current Secretary of the Illini High Twelve Club No. 768 in Champaign – Urbana (IL). He is also a member of the Eastern Illinois Council No. 356 Allied Masonic Degrees. You can reach him by email at darin.lahners@gmail.com.