So,What Happens When We Fall From Grace?

by Midnight Freemason Contributor

Bro. Robert Walk Jr.

So, what happens when we fall from Grace? So, what happens when we fail? What happens when we get back out into the real world, after we are Raised, and begin to do The Great Work and we fumble? Not too sure about you Brethren, but my quick-to-judge attitude has been very resilient in my efforts to tear that tendency to shreds.

Nearly immediately after I was Raised back in February this year, 2014, my old tendencies came back — complaining about politics, road-raging due to tailgaters and bad traffic, and just plain complaining in general. I go from cold to hot in under three seconds, which has been brought to my attention very many times, during which I had to take a moment to breathe. What happened to the very lesson which was literally just given to me in my Raising? It seemed as though it had taken a back seat for a few months, as I awaited the time of the fateful moment during the latter portion of that night. It was a rather stark reminder that that which we contend with in human nature and ego is not easily given up or even destroyed for that matter.

The question here then, is what are we to do if we have a transgression of our obligations, or we fail to present the Fraternity in the Great Light that it truly provides? I knew that I couldn’t be the only one whose tendencies didn’t get the best of them, even after the Third Degree Ritual. I began to ask around about what I could do if I became that person I was struggling to constantly downplay? That oftentimes angry, irritable, non-sensical man surely did not listen to his own conscience when it came to certain matters of that nature. The answers I got were not nearly as satisfying or fulfilling as I thought they should’ve been:

“Don’t worry, Brother. We all do it sometimes.”


“What did you do? Flick ‘em off? They deserved it!”


or the worst answer,

“You’re just too hard on yourself, man.”


Something was amiss here. I really didn’t know where to go with that. There was a feeling of redemption that I was after that wasn’t attainable by these throwaway one-liners. Should I go to the Worshipful Master and confess? Well, for God’s sake, he’s surely not my pastor! Well, then obviously I should sit in contemplation and prayer! Right, but in that case if my Masonhood were in question, I would not be judged by my Brethren.

After a few months I came to see what I was missing all along. Forgiveness of yourself, if the issue could not be resolved with the other person, is the most important thing of all here. If you were not ever to forgive yourself of these offenses, how could we possibly make it over the first hurdle? You can’t get past the thought of the transgression enough to realize why you acted the way you did, and to never end up doing that again. However, that brings up a higher thought, within the realm of self-forgiveness. If your conscience cannot possibly keep you from acting the way you did in that moment of selfishness, doesn’t that speak to the nature of the human condition itself? And I believe, by that very question, we delve into the true nature of Masonic thought and introspection. With that, good luck to you, my Brothers.


God Bless, and get to Lodge!

~RW

Bro. Robert Walk Jr. is the creator and sole writer for On Freemasonry and Humble Pie: a Wordpress blog dedicated to his experiences and journey from being a petitioner, to Initiation, Passing, and to being Raised. A dialysis technician being his main work, he enjoys writing, rock climbing, drumming and craft beer in his free time. He is a Master Mason at Jephthah Lodge No. 222, A.F.&A.M. in Essex, MD.

Becoming a Catechism Instructor

by Midnight Freemason Contributor

Bro. Rob Walk Jr.

As I turned onto Orville Road via Eastern Avenue I was only a tad bit nervous. Just enough to grab the shifter of my bean can of a car with three white knuckles tightly clenched around it. As I rounded that corner I felt the caffeine stimulating my hyper-sensitive nerves to the point where I could feel my heart nearly beat out of my chest. At least it was pretty outside. Today is the day that I would return all three degrees' catechisms, in a row, to the Deputy Grand Lecturer, Past Master Gus Vorvoulas.

I always saw him as sort of a mythical creature. Not dissimilar to a jade Buddha statue in the deep thick of a middle-of-nowhere forest. I only saw him during officer line practices, and maybe one stated meeting every two months. Somehow everyone always spoke of this Past Master. One Brother that I met far and away from our lodge even told me to tell him, "hi Deputy" in his name! Who was this man, really? And just the fact that the first time we would have a serious one-on-one would be a very brain-tingling return of the degrees was nerve-wracking!

Up until now I was highly dedicated to the catechisms. Word-for-word I would repeat the answers to the questions during my breaks and downtime at work. I knew them like I knew my own face. What would save me on this day, however, was the fact that I also memorized the questions preceding them. I was able to go through the whole series, open to close, on my drives to and from work…but then I was Raised.

I became proficient in the 3rd Degree and more or less dropped the work. I became dedicated to what was happening within the walls of our building. The socializing, prepping for dinners, and learning the floor work for Senior Steward became my primary focus. The catechisms were, in so few words, behind me. I was then approached by the Worshipful Master to do catechism instruction. I had confidence I could completely it, but several weeks went by before I could meet with the Deputy Grand Lecturer to "certify" with him. By the time I was able to schedule our appointment with Past Master Gus, I very hurriedly had to look over my ritual monitor again. His only chance to meet would be -- you guessed it -- that very day.

I panicked inside, heart trembling, because I knew that enough time had gone by that I wouldn't remember all three 100%. I sat in the parking lot of the high school, waiting for my wife to come out. It was nearly the end of her day. I enjoy taking her to work on my days off. Today however I must have texted her four times trying to figure out if she was on her way. I nearly flew home and scarfed down my dinner in anticipation of my meeting with Gus. I drove down I-95 onto Eastern Avenue and right onto Orville Road. This was it. I came around the turn, eyes wide open staring at the rather ornate square and compasses that adorn our lodge hall. And as soon as I saw that I also saw the front end of Past Master Gus's car. He was outside waiting on me. ::Gulp::

We both stood up out of our cars, gave a rather "healthy" grip, and he finagled the door of the lodge open with his very "janitorial" looking key. This really could not have gone any slower. I felt the beads of sweat drip down my chest under my windbreaker. We took three steps into the lodge as he said, "would you lock that door behind you?" And his words reverberated through my skull like a judge telling a thief he would be sent to prison for the next 10 years. "Past Master, I'll be honest with you. I'm really nervous." He laughed a little bit and told me not to worry about it. He asked me about how I was enjoying my experience. Did I enjoy the 3rd Degree? And the topic at the forefront of my mind lately: Masonic Education. We must have sat there for 25 or 30 minutes simply bantering and bickering back and forth! And I'll be darned if that didn't near-immediately calm me down.

"Well, are you ready," he asked.
"Am now. Let's do it."

Now I'm sure you think I'm going to tell some fib about going straight through them without stopping. Well, I didn't. I had to eat some humble pie that day, because the latter half of the 2nd Degree was nearly lost to me.

I did the Entered Apprentice. "Good."
I did the Master Mason. "Good."

I tripped over the Fellowcraft, but I called him the very next day and we did it over a phone call. I finally found myself able to do the work that was so generously passed onto me. This Thursday evening I'll visit another lodge with Past Master Gus to witness the Knights of Mecca Raise a Brother to the Sublime Degree of Master Mason. There he'll serve as the Worshipful Master. It will undoubtedly be a sight to behold.

~RW

Bro. Robert Walk Jr. is the creator and sole writer for On Freemasonry and Humble Pie: a Wordpress blog dedicated to his experiences and journey from being a petitioner, to Initiation, Passing, and to being Raised. A dialysis technician being his main work, he enjoys writing, rock climbing, drumming and craft beer in his free time. He is a Master Mason at Jephthah Lodge No. 222, A.F.&A.M. in Essex, MD.

The Twelfth

Ever since he was a profane, this man, now Brother would email me and ask questions. Not long ago, he finally was raised to the Sublime Degree of a Master Mason. Of course I am speaking about Brother Robert Walk Jr.

Brother Robert Walk Jr. is a brand new Master Mason with an old soul, he maintains his own blog On Freemasonry & Humble Pie as well as stopping by "The Midnight Freemasons" every once in a while to give us a guest post. I know Brother Walk had been clamoring for his third degree, but what he didn't know, is that I too was clamoring for it, as it meant I would then be able to invite him to join us here on our little blog.

About a week after Brother Walk's raising, I sent him an official invitation to join us as a regular contributor, needless to say, he accepted. I can not tell you all how excited I am to have Brother Walk's writing talent as well as his eternal bond as a Brother. I know I speak for everyone when I say "Welcome to the group!".


Brother Robert Walk Jr. is the creator and sole writer for On Freemasonry and Humble Pie: a Wordpress blog dedicated to his experiences and journey from being a petitioner, to Initiation, Passing, and to being Raised. A dialysis technician being his main work, he enjoys writing, rock climbing, drumming and craft beer in his free time. He is a Master Mason at Jephthah Lodge No. 222, A.F.&A.M. in Essex, MD.