York
Rite Masonry
Saint Paul, Minnesota
Some Thoughts for a New Sir Knight
By Ray Hayward
“Write because you would die if you didn’t.” -Rilke
I sat looking at eleven shell-shocked faces. They had that tired, satiated, mellow look which said, ‘Wow, I think I’ve had enough.’ It was the end of a long day of ritual, education and soul-searching. The Commander then asked if anyone had anything to say. I sure did. My Masonic cup overfloweth, but I hesitated, thought twice, took stock of the situation and silently stayed in my seat. Everyone had had enough for one day. The problem is, because these thoughts won’t let me rest, I had to share them in this article.
As the Senior Warden of the Host Commandery, I recently had the privilege and honor of performing that office at the United York Rite Council’s ‘One Day to Commandery.’ Eleven candidates from six Commanderies statewide received the Order of the Red Cross, Mediterranean Pass, Order of Malta and the Order of the Temple.
From the onset, as the various scenes, lines, lectures, and floor-work unfolded for the Candidates, I couldn’t help but be moved by the amazing stories being told. I was reminded of a quote from Shakespeare’s Henry V. King Harry and his tiny, rag-tag army are readying for the Battle of Agincourt, having already battled their way across France. The English are hopelessly out-manned, out-horsed, out-armored—they are tired, they are far from home. Harry reminds them their cause is just, they are brave, strong, and will be victorious or die trying. This speech is his famous St. Crispin’s Day speech, and he tells them what they are doing is historic, saying, “This story shall the good man teach his son.” The stories in the orders of the Commandery, too, are worthy of teaching anyone’s sons.
In addition to the profound and obvious lessons in the Orders, I took many lessons for the future of the Commandery, of Masonry, and my own personal Eastward journey of light. In the Illustrious Order of the Red Cross, we saw the effort, and wisdom, of one man who was responsible for the rebuilding of the Temple. My mind raced to another single person who changed the tribalism of religion and made it accessible to the world. Many times and in many incarnations has Masonry been destroyed, or laid low, but it took just one true heart to revive it. Is that our future?
Pilgrims needed the Mediterranean Pass before they could go on their spiritual pilgrimage. We need the many lessons of Masonry so we can prepare for the pilgrimage from darkness to light, which are our own Masonic lives. I saw through the History of the Knights of Malta, a lesson of change, adaptability, and ultimately, survival with principles intact. We as Masons have to know our past to know our future. The Hospitallers taught us how to battle many kinds of enemies.
By far, the Order of the Temple yielded the richest, most far-reaching lessons for me as a Mason, a Knight Templar, and a Christian. Over and over the message came out about reconciliation. Many parts of the Order give reasons to reconcile, opportunities to make a fresh start, and the conditions for successful forgiveness. Past Grand Commander Harland Thomeson once said to me, “We have enough enemies outside Freemasonry, we don’t need to fight among ourselves.” How about the York and Scottish Rites, The Blue Lodge, and the Women’s Organizations? United we can stand. With whom have we not reconciled in our Masonic family? Where else in our lives do we need reconciliation? In our biological family? Our work? Our neighborhood? In 1 Corinthians 5:18-19, the Bible says,
All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them. And he has committed us to the message of reconciliation.
In the Order of the Temple we are reminded of the betrayal of Christ by his disciple, Judas. We saw that even Judas was offered forgiveness and reconciliation at the Triangle. Remember the “twelfth” candle? About this in Matthew 5:23-24, Jesus says,
“Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and then remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift.”
We get a chance to practice what Jesus preached.
During that One-day class, I saw two other Commanderies besides mine bestow Orders. The message came to me that right now a few are holding and maintaining the Commandery for the future. I saw these few Sir Knights deeply involved with their Commanderies—my main advice to the new brother Knights is, like them, get involved! Receiving the Orders isn’t the end of your Templarism; it’s only the beginning. There is so much to learn from studying, memorizing and bestowing the Orders. The following is a Sufi saying that illustrates the lessons of time, study, and involvement—“The wise know because they paid for their knowledge. You do not know because you are getting the information for so much cheaper!” Deepen and enrich the lessons you received by an active attendance in your Commandery. With enthusiasm, bug, bother, and bird-dog your Commander for a sword, a uniform, or even an office. Prepare yourself for the next generation of Knights Templar. Do your homework. The history of the Knights Templar, be they Masonic, Historic, or Legendary are connected to a story of tragedy and triumph. The Templars, like the destroyed and rebuilt Temple from which they get their name, are like the Phoenix rising out of the ashes of a great, changing fire. So too, are the 21st C. Freemasons.
If you are not assigned a mentor, ask for one, or you could adopt one. Mentors are the bridge between the past and the future. Past Grand Commander Charles W. Nelson gave this advice on the Mentor Program, “I know the value of the Mentor Program, but it seems that most either are too busy, or don’t want the responsibility, or just don’t care. Now, that’s not what Masonry is all about. It is about giving good counsel and support when a brother is in need—not when we feel it is convenient. I like nothing better than to take a new member and walk him through the work and then be there when he has a question a few weeks or months later.”
Confucius gave a lesson to his disciples hundreds of years ago about the workloads of the teacher and the student. He said, “If education was a tablecloth, the Teacher holds one corner and the student holds three.” I would say the old Masonry handed the whole tablecloth to the new brother. This has to change. The Mentor Program has to be a 50/50 ratio of responsibility for it to work with the generations to come, who will be the seekers, finders, and rebuilders of our fraternity. Not only Masonry, but the world, society, religion, and our Country are changing with the force, speed, unpredictability and fury of a tidal wave. What can we do? I see two options—be under the wave and get crushed, or be on top, riding that power further than any of us can imagine.
Non Nobis Domine, Non Nobis, Sed Nomine
Tuo Da Gloriam