Brethren,
At the November Regular communication our Education Officer Paul Uslan presented an amazing paper he wrote on Freemasonry and how we can make it more valuable for new members and more attractive to potential new members. One thing he reminded us is that learning the applications of ritual through mindful exploration of the craft isn't easy or automatic, and we need to make the time do it.
...which we are taught to divide into three equal parts...
Our Entered Apprentice ritual has a lessons on the subject of time, the first that comes to mind is one of the working tools of an Entered Apprentice--the 24 inch gauge:
"It being divided into twenty-four equal parts is emblematic of the twenty-four hours of the day which we are taught to divide into three equal parts, whereby we find a portion for the service of God and a distressed Worthy Brother, a portion for our usual vocations and a portion for refreshment and sleep."
The third portion is the critical time when we recharge our batteries, without proper rest and energy we can hardly do a good job with the other two portions.
The second portion is the critical time when through our labors we produce the resources necessary to sustain ourselves and families, and frees us to engage in the first portion.
The first portion, for the service of God and a distressed Worthy Brother, is also critical for many reasons. Foremost in my mind is that it would encompass that Masonic ideal that I have wrote about before: Charity. It reminds us that Charity isn't something you do once in a big bang at the end of the year, it's something we should be thinking about and working on every day. As men and Masons we should be living each day with Charity in our hearts, being ready to give as our cable tow allows.
That said, come give to charity in one big bang at our year-end charity event this Saturday November 11! It's for a great cause and will help make a difference in our community. As WB Secretary says, invite your rich friends and let’s party for SafeHouse Center.
I never addressed which portion is the time we work on ourselves, growing our understanding of ritual and expanding our minds as Masons. Is it as part of our refreshment? Does it count as part of our usual vocation? Could we ourselves be a distressed worthy brother in the context of needing to expand our knowledge and understanding of ritual? I leave that to you my brother.
Sincerely And Fraternally,
Steven Moazami
Worshipful Master
UPCOMING EVENTS - See our Calendar for details
Nov 11 - Memorial Service for WB Bob Murphy | 11:00am Details Here
Nov 11- Free Mason Party for SafeHouse | Zal Gaz Grotto Club
Nov 15 - Special Meeting | Purpose and Place TBA
Nov 29 - Lodge of Sorrow Memorial Service | Zal Gaz Grotto Club
Dec 6 - Regular Communication | Pittsfield Union Grange Hall
Dec 16 - Installation of Officers for 2018 | Zal Gaz Grotto Club