GRAND MASTER’S MESSAGE Alan L. Gordon, Grand Master
The greatest of these is Charity.
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harity extends beyond the grave through the boundless realms of eternity. Or as Albert Pike said, “What we have done for ourselves alone dies with us; what we have done for others and the world remains and is immortal.” We have often heard the adage that Masonry takes good men and makes them better. A good friend of mine once said that we are all born Masons—we just haven’t realized it yet. It is the process of initiation, passing, and raising that gives us the realization of what it means to be a Mason. It sets us on a path to become better men both internally and externally. So how do we become better men externally? The answer lies in many places, one of which is Charity. The past year and a quarter have placed many challenges before all of us. Not only were we faced with the threat of a mortal disease, but our families and friends, our Masonic brothers and our communities were threatened. Our very way of life was threatened. We are only now seeing a return to some sense of normality which is in reality a new normal. I don’t think we will ever return to the level of normal which we had prior to March 2020. As Masons, we had to identify what we could do to help, aid, and assist everyone who was affected—and we stepped up to the plate. We reached into our pockets and gave money and goods to those less fortunate. But money and goods are not the only way we give of ourselves charitably. A deeper, and arguably far greater, form of charity can be found in the mentorship we give others. And this is something we don’t have to wait for a global pandemic to give.
There is the story of the young man who became a DeMolay. Years later, he joined the Masonic Lodge of one of his chapter advisors. At some point, the two were talking and the younger brother told the older brother that the elder had once shared some information which had totally changed the younger brother’s life—transformed it so that he became a better person. The older brother had no
recollection even of the conversation in which it had happened. It is the small things to which we give so little significance that can make the biggest difference. The only thing we need to do is make the effort. I can think of no greater mentorship than to help a young man or young women as they progress to adulthood. We only need to give of our time.
ISSUE 2, 2021 THE VOICE OF FREEMASONRY | 1
