Judgement and Forgiveness

Grand Chaplain's Message

By W.B. Tracy M. Harris, Grand Chaplain

Someone parks in a handicap spot gets out and walks away. They do not look like they need to park in the handicap spot.

Did you judge? I did

At the grocery store, a guy paying for his groceries needed to use three cards to pay for his groceries.

Did you judge? I did.

Driving down the road with moderate traffic, a car uses all three lanes to move up two cars.

Did you judge? I did.

At the grocery store, the checker has 13 earrings in her left ear and more in her right ear.

Did you judge? I did.

Your oldest daughter’s boyfriend comes by to pick her up for a date. He has a big swath of purple hair.

Did you judge? I did.

You see a man standing on the side of the off-ramp with a dog, smoking a cigarette and a sign asking for money.

Did you judge? I did.

I was working out, using a butterfly machine with 1.5-pound weights on each side. Did you judge? Another person did.

He said mockingly, “That’s a tough workout.” I jumped up, lifted my shirt, and said, “I started at zero.” He stuttered, apologized, and asked me what happened. He was looking at a very bright pink scar down the middle of my chest from my bypass surgery a few months before. I had been working extremely hard to recover from that surgery. I was proud that I had fi nally made it to 1.5 pounds. He judged me without knowing anything about me or what I had been through.

After that experience, I have tried not to judge others. Each person is unique and most times you have no idea about their situation, their life, or their experiences. I must admit, I am not always successful; however, I do try not to judge others.

So, reflect on the following verse.

Luke 6:37Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn others, or it will all come back against you. Forgive others, and you will be forgiven.

The words “forgive” and “forgiven” in the above verse, remind me that Easter is fast approaching.

My earliest recollection of Easter is of my grandparents visiting. We would be dressed up, me in a suit and my little sister in a frilly dress and white gloves. We would go to church and have a big afternoon meal. After my grandparents passed away, my mom took over the tradition. Soon, my parents were grandparents and the tradition continued.

Recently, I was reminiscing about my past Easter experiences that have revolved around family and services at Pulpit Rock.

As a teen, I belonged to a Methodist youth group. We would gather at the top of a hill for sunrise service. It was my fi rst sunrise service, and everybody went silent as the sun rose. What a moment as the sun came up to adorn the day. We had breakfast up there. I helped scramble eggs; my fi rst-time preparing food.

Years later, I was raised as a Mason in The Dalles, gaining a new family with new traditions. On cold Easter mornings, well before the sunrise, the Masons would meet at the Lodge to load chairs into a horse trailer and then set the chairs up at Pulpit Rock, a natural 12-foot-tall rock, used by Methodist missionaries for delivering sermons in the 1840s. Left in place, but now in the middle of a residential intersection, we would drink coffee that a very thoughtful Mason had brought. Soon more Masons, our Masonic family including Eastern Star members, Rainbow Girls, and members of the public joined us for the sunrise service. It was the Master’s duty to invite someone to give a sermon from the top of Pulpit Rock. Each year, it was a different Master and a different pastor, but it was always an Easter to remember.

Easter is a time for forgiveness. Forgiveness can be a hurdle in the soul of humanity.

Are forgiven people able to both forgive and forget? Do those who struggle to forgive tend to hold onto memories of past wrongs? Where do you fall on this spectrum?

Th is Easter, forgive others as you have been forgiven.

If you are able, join your Masonic family at Pulpit Rock in The Dalles for sunrise service. This year marks 100 years of Masons celebrating Easter at Pulpit Rock.