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SYMBOLISM OF THE THIRD DEGREE
If the first degree is intended as a
representation
of youth, and the second of manhood, the
third, or Master Mason, is emblematic of
old
age, with its trials, its sufferings, and
its final
termination of death. The time for toiling
is now
over; the opportunity to learn has passed
away;
the spiritual temple that we all have been
striving
to erect in our hearts is now nearly
completed,
and the wearied workman awaits only
the word of the Grand Master of the
Universe,
to call him from the labors of earth to the
eternal
refreshment of heaven. Hence, this is by
far
the most solemn and impressive of the
degrees
of Masonry; and it has, in consequence of
the
profound truths which it inculcates, been
distinguished
by the Craft as the Sublime Degree,
As an Entered Apprentice, the Mason was
taught
those elementary instructions which were to
fit
him for further advancement in his
profession,
just as the youth is supplied with that
rudimentary
education which is to prepare him for
entering
upon the active duties of life; as a Fellow
Craft, the Mason is directed to continue
his
investigation in the science of the
institution,
and to labor diligently in the tasks it
prescribes,
just as the man is required to enlarge his
mind
by the acquisition of new ideas, and to
extend
his usefulness to his fellow creatures;
but, as
a Master, the Mason is taught the last, the
most
important and the most necessary of truths,
that
having been faithful to all his trust, he
is at
last to die, and to receive the rewards of
his
fidelity.
It was the single object of all the ancient
rites
and mysteries practiced in the very bosom
of
pagan darkness, shining as a solitary
beacon
in all that surrounding gloom, and cheering
the
philosopher i n his weary pilgrimage of
life, to
teach the immortality of the soul. This is
still
the great design of the third degree of
Masonry.
This is the scope and aim of its ritual.
The
Master Mason represents man, when youth,
man-hood,
old age, and life itself have passed away
as fleeting shadows. yet raised from the
grave
of iniquity, and quickened into another and
a
better existence. By its legend and all its
ritual,
it is implied that we have been redeemed
from
the death of sin and the sepulchre of
pollution.
Marcio Teixeira dos Santos M:.M:.
moderator Mason E-Mail <http://www.egroups.com/list/mason>
webmaster The Masonic World <http://www.masonicworld.com>
member of World Wildlife Fund <http://www.wwf.org.br>
Sao Paulo - Brazil
