the practical effect of internal growth
The Practical Effect of Internal Growth: Brothers Shave Heads in Support of Kids with Cancer
T
o supplement more traditional St. Patrick’s Day celebrations, ten DC Freemasons accepted the challenge issued by the St. Baldrick’s Foundation, shaving our heads on March 13th at the Scottish Rite Center of Washington, DC, in exchange for donations to help raise money for childhood cancer research. By getting our heads shaved in solidarity with kids who lose their hair during chemotherapy, over $15,000 was raised locally by these ten brothers as part of a worldwide effort to conquer kids’ cancer. “Shaving our heads is a small sacrifice compared to what these children endure,” said W. Bro. Michael A. Webb, who raised the most funds at this event. “As Masons, the lessons we learned in the Entered Apprentice’s Degree moved us to raise money for this charitable cause.”
J. David Moses Rozsa Senior Grand Steward
nalizing the substantive content of these lessons or simply through the process of dedicating energy to intellectual and spiritual inquiry, we end up improving ourselves. While it certainly takes commitment to improve ourselves, it is even more challenging to modify our behavior and habits to reflect that internal growth. Although this external expression of internal improvement may be difficult, it is a critical component of our Craft if we are to have any relevance today or in the future. To be clear, I am not suggesting that our well-regulated institution should as an organization take on charitable causes. Instead, our fraternity needs to inspire each individual brother to “walk the talk”—to live his life in accordance with the moral and ethical precepts we teach, to be good to his family and serve his community, and to leave the world better than he found it.
Brotherly Love, Relief, and Truth are the principal tenets of our Order, taught through our allegorical ritual and the symbolism of operative stonemasonry. This individual, pracBy investing in the Participants in the St. Baldrick’s Challenge before and after tical application of our effort to dig deeper— having their heads shaved. Masonic teachings past the superficial, about contributing to rote memorization of the words of our ritual—and by the relief of the distressed was clearly reflected by sharing personal insights with each other, many of us the actions of those who participated with me in—or gain at least a partial understanding of the esoteric contributed to—this year’s St. Baldrick’s Day: Bro. meanings underlying the symbols. Whether by interRobin Bodie, Bro. Stephen S. Brettell, Bro. Tim HatThe Voice of Freemasonry
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