WE ARE BUILDERS

We are all agreed that Freemasonry is a splendid Fraternity; that it is steeped in tradition; that it numbers many great men of the past and present as its Members; that it has a beautiful ritual; and that it is, indeed, a great honor to be a Freemason.

However, in the final analysis the future of Freemasonry depends not on these things but on the influence it exerts in the life of each one of us. If society is to be successful and everlasting, it must live and breathe the principles on which it is founded. It must be workable, and this means that the individual Members must live in the spirit of real Brotherhood, we must be a doer of the Word, not just a hearer only.

To assume obligations of friendship, morality, and brotherly love; to reaffirm love for the dependence on an Eternal Father, are but empty words lost forever in the restless air if they are not practiced in our daily life. In this sense, we as present-day Masons could very well classify ourselves as "Operative Masons."

Our Lodge is not just a room. It is not merely a place in which to enjoy fraternal fellowship. It is not an organization which replaces the Church. It is not the means of promoting one's self in business. What our Lodge really is, is a group of men, a group of Brothers, who have dedicated themselves to a common task, and that is to build. A Freemason is a builder; a builder of character; a builder of a better community; a better nation; a better world in which to live; a builder of an Eternal Temple for the indwelling of God.

Such should be the real meaning of Freemasonry to each of us. If not, we should re-dedicate our lives right now to those principles of Freemasonry to which we have obligated ourselves to accept, to learn, to keep and to exemplify.

We are brought to Light in order that we may let our Light so shine before our fellowmen, that they may see our good works and join us in glorifying The Great Architect of the Universe.