Another month of labor is behind us. I’d like to thank to all of our officers for doing extraordinary work, especially on the ritual. Brother Senior Warden Mauricio has earned recommendation of our District Instructor of Work for issuing of his Warden Certificate, brother Tom has mastered a portion of ritual, brethren Bennett and Al both continue to absorb and retain difficult ritual works as sponges, our stewards are spot-on in all their responsibilities and I feel privileged to serve as a Master this year.
On our first started in July, Worshipful Dick Walk will present a program, and the meeting will be relatively short, as it will be followed by a degree. It is a courtesy degree for the Grand Lodge of Arizona, and this is the only day we could perform it. I would like to share with you something I was thinking about the other day. I was thinking about how do we ballot in our lodge and something Worshipful Dick Walk says – “every Mason must vote” and also about Right Worshipful W.O.’s comments about guarding the West Gate. I did some research on this and I found s a quote by MW Carl H. Claudy who served as a Grand Master of Masons in District of Columbia in 1943 and as the Secretary of Masonic Service Association 1929-1957. I was reading one of his short talks about “guarding the west gate – and masonic duties of balloting” and I found this paragraph that I would like to share with you:
“The brother who casts a ballot wields a tremendous power. Like most powers it can be used well or ill. It may work harm or good not only upon him upon whom it is used but to him who uses it. Unlike many great powers put into the hands of men this one is not subject to review or control by any human agency. No king, prince, potentate; no law, custom or regulation; no Masonic brother or officer can interfere with a brother’s use of his power.
For no one knows who uses the black cube. No one knows why one is cast. The individual brother and his God alone know. The very absence of any responsibility to man or authority is one reason why the power should be used with intelligence and only when after solemn self-inquiry the reason behind its use is found to be Masonic. The black cube is the great protection of the Fraternity; it permits the brother who does not desire to make public his secret knowledge to use that knowledge for the benefit of the Craft. It gives to all members the right to say who shall not become members of their lodge family. But at the same time it puts to the test the Masonic heart and the personal honesty of every brother present. The black cube is a thorough test of our understanding of the Masonic teaching of the cardinal virtue Justice, which “enables us to render to every man his just due without distinction.” We are taught of justice that “it should be the invariable practice of every Mason never to deviate from the minutest principles thereof.
Justice to the lodge requires us to cast the black cube on an applicant we believe to be unfit. Justice to ourselves requires that we cast the black cube on the application of the man we believe would destroy the harmony of our lodge. Justice to the applicant requires that no black cube be cast for little or mean reasons. Justice to justice requires that we think carefully, deliberate slowly, and act cautiously. No man will know what we do; no eye will see save that All-Seeing Eye which penetrates the innermost recesses of our hearts.
A well-used black cube goes into the ballot box. Ill used, it drops into the heart and blackens it.”
Therefore brethren let us apply these masonic principles in our day to day life and in our relations with other people. Let us be proud of our fraternity and of these selected individuals that we call brothers. Let us cherish them and enjoy spending times with each other for they are our true and sincere brother Masons.
Link to PDF version of this month’s Trestle Board: https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B1Bfpq2wDwgYNUtfYlozSDg0Tm8
