STB-SE83
Music by Brother J. L. F. Mendelssohn.
LOVE
by Wor. Bro. Alphonse Cerza
LOVE is a four-lettered word which frequently
finds its way into the writings of Masonic author
Bro. Alphonse Cerza. In this Short Talk Bulletin
Bro. Cerza shares some interesting thoughts on
the subject of LOVE. We thank him for his brotherly love in preparing these thoughts.
The word "love" in the English language
has many meanings and is used to describe a
variety of feelings. In other languages there is
more than one word available to describe different feelings and clearly differentiating between the degree of warmth which is intended
when the word is used. For example, in the
Greek language there are three words available
to describe one's feeling. The word "agape"
expresses an unselfish feeling which one person
has for another as well as the love of God. The
word "eros" expresses the feeling which one
person has for a person of the opposite sex, and
is reflected in the English word "erotic." The
word "philo" expresses the feeling which a person has in other matters. This word was utilized
when the word "Philadelphia" was selected as
the name of the famous city located in Pennsylvania and means "brotherly love."
The comprehensive meaning of the word
"love" becomes apparent when one consults
any standard English dictionary. The American
Heritage Dictionary of the English Language
(1969) is a good illustration. It brings out the
idea that the word describes extreme or intense
affection as compared with such related words
as "fondness" and "devotion." It states that
"love suggests a feeling more intense and less
susceptible to control than that associated with
the other words of this group." In considering
the wide range of feelings that can be experienced, we find love at one end which describes a
favorable excessive fondness or affection and at
the other end the undesirable feeling of hate. In
between these two extremes are found such
words as like, regard, tenderness, desire, yearn,
cherish, admire, etc.
All the great religions of the world admonish their members to love one another, as we express the rule in English. We must recognize
that the sacred writings of these religions are
written in a foreign language and that the word
' love" may have lost its correct meaning when
translated into English. It has been customary
in translations to use the word "love" in English in the belief that it comes closest to the
meaning intended in the original religious
works. This may or may not be a specifically
correct translation. The universal existence ot
this word in holy writings may be illustrated by
an examination of the Holy Bible. In the Old
Testament (Revised Standard Version) we find
"you shall iove your neighbor as yourself"
(Leviticus 19:18). In the New Testament we
find a number of passages: "This I command
you, to love one another" (John 15:17); "Love
your enemies" (Matthew 5:44). Illustrations
from other great religions are noted such as the
Chinese characted si which conveys the idea of
"love". The Confucian virtue known as jen is
variously translated as "goodness", "benevolence", "human-heartedness", 'love."
Mohammed, in his Speeches and Table-Talk,
said, "He who is not loving to God's creatures
and to his own children, God will not be loving
to him." Similar sentlments are expressed in the
holy books of all the great religions of the
world.
The use of the word "love" is too broad to
be applicable to Freemasonry. Closer are the
words "brotherly love." the Holy Bible uses
these words in a number of places. in Romans
(12:10) appears "Love one another with brotherly affection; outdo one another in showing
honor. ' In Hebrews (13: 11) we find "Let
brotherly love continue." In Peter ll (1:7) we
find "brotherly affection with love." Betier
known are the words of the Gentle Carpenter
when He said, "A new commandment I give to
you, that you love one another." The Old
Testament was written in Hebrew and the New
Testament in Aramaic and Creek. The idea of
loving one another was not one of the Ten
Commandments, but it does appear in the Old
Testament (as quoted from Leviticus above) so
that the rule was not really a "new" one. It was
intended to call attention to lhe disputing and
arguing that was going on about the laws and
customs which amounted to hair-splitting. The
Gentle Carpenter was urging his listeners to
return to the basic meaning of the rules of
human conduct. In a sense, He was restating a
universal Truth that has stood the test of time.
The idea of love has been extolled in many
ways through the ages. For example, the fifteenth edition of Bartlett 's Familiar Quotations
(1980), has over five pages with three columns,
listing quotations explaining "love".
Dante's Divine Comedy is one of the great
epic works of world literature. It starts with a
feeling of despair. On the door of the Inferno
(hell) are the words: "Abandon every hope,
you that enter." By the time the trip was over,
after going through Paradise, a comparison is
made with the Geometer who applies himself to
measuring the circle with his desire and his will.
revolving like a wheel that is easily moved "by
the Love which moves the sun and other stars."
Love exists everywhere and permeates all
human activities from personal relationships to
offices located on Madison Avenue. Here are a
few examples that quickly come to mind. Many
people classify June as the "love month" because so many marriages take place during this
month. February 14 is known as Valentine's
Day and is dedicated to the idea of romantic
love. In a recent magazine advertisement glowingly praising the vacation attractions of one of
our midwestern states, it is said, "When you
want to get away and enjoy all the things you
love. . ." A dog kennel not far from my homc
has a large sign with these words: "Archer Puppies. Buy Some Love--Woof, Woof." On a recent television commercial, baby diapers were
advertised called "Luvs". For many years there
has been syndicated in many newspapers all
over the country a small item with the title
"Love is . . ." It is usually followed with a picture of a comic boy and girl with a short, appropriate statement. Here are several illustrations of words added at the bottom of the item:
"Having respect for her point of view"; after a
picture of the boy and girl riding a horse, the
words "horsing around together"; and after a
picture of the boy with a spade in one hand and
wiping his forehead with a handkerchief, the
words "licking the garden in shape for her."
Even the world of sports has not escaped the
word "love." In tennis the word is used to keep
score. Each tennis player's score starts with
"O" or "Love" at the beginning of the game.
This is not intended to mean that the players are
in love with each other, nor is it intended to
convey the idea that the game is promoting a
religious or moral lesson. The word enters the
game from the French word "I'oeuf" meaning
"the egg." When the word is pronounced in
English, it sounds like the word "love," and
thus became part of the game.
Love has also reached the United States
Post Of fice. On February I, 1982, a stamp was
released in Boston, Masschusetts with yellow,
green, red, purple and blue colored flowers arranged to form the word LOVE. The official
description of this twenty-cent stamp is as
follows: "Designed by artist Mary Faulconer of
New York City, the 'LOVE' stamp visually embraces the warmth and joy of the very word
itself. To symbolize 'LOVE', gaily colored
flowers were selected to create each letter, 'to
give form to the word and convey a sense of
meaning, delicacy and strength at the same
time,' according to the artist. The letter 'L' is
formed by miniature red poppies' the letter 'O'
by painted daisies and Johnny-jump-ups (miniature pansies); the 'V' by cornflowers (or bachelor's buttons); and the 'E' was created with
coralbells. "
Since the dawn of history, poets and song
writers have extolled the attractions of romantic
love. In recent years a friendly sort of love has
been expounded in lectures, television programs, and several books by Dr. Leo Buscaglia,
Professor of Education at the University of
Southern California. The large and enthusiastic
audiences which he attracts to his lectures prove
the subject of Love is never out-of-style. When
his book Living, Loving & Learning became a
best seller for many weeks, it created interest in
his earlier book entitled Love. Before too many
weeks, it also became a best seller. His basic
theme is that love knows no age; each person
needs to love and be loved; before you can love
others you must first love yourself; and that
love involves responsibility. In his lectures he
exhibits an unbounded enthusiasm which is
contagious as he urges his listeners to reach out
and touch someone and thereby help themselves and the other person.
Because the word "love" in English is a
broad one, it is not unusual for persons to use it
incorrectly. For example, a person who says, "I
love apple pie," really means, "I enjoy eating
apple pie." The religious precept that you shall
"love your neighbor as yourself" can be easily
misunderstood and may stem from the failure
of the translation to convey the correct intended meaning. Sometimes this rule is criticized as
being impractical because one cannot love
another person as much as himself. The truth is
that the rule is practical, but the word used in
English is not the correct one. Using one possible definition of the English word, if you have
an excessive love of yourself as a person, you
can hardly be expected to carry this sort of feeling toward others.
This rule cannot be followed literally,
especially if one applies the dictionary definition that the word "love" means the excessive
love of one's self. It brings to mind the story in
Greek mythology of Narcissus who was loved
by Echo, a mountain nymph. Narcissus was too
much in love with himself and spurned her love.
Echo became very sad and Aphrodite, the god
of Love, decided to punish Narcissus for his attitude. He was induced to drink water at a certain fountain. Seeing his own image reflected in
the pool, Narcissus was so seized with a passion
for himself that he pined away. The gods transormed him into a flower which now bears his
name. Because of this story, psychoanalysts
describe excessive self-love as Narcissism.
Sometimes this defect in one's feelings directs
one's sexual instinct towards one's own body.
The person afflicted with Narcissism often is indifferent to other persons unless, by attracting
their favorable attention, the self-love of the
narcissist is enhanced. Since this is not a normal
or desirable trait in a human being, we can reasonably assume that the idea of "self-love" is
not meant by this religious commandment.
Again we learn that the English word "love"
does not correctly describe the feeling that is
meant to be encouraged.
A consideration of this subject leads us to
remember the great part that the word "charity" plays in Masonic philosophy. It is derived
from the Latin word "caritas" which is translated to the word "love." Older translations of
the Holy Bible translated the word to "charity"
but recent translations have the language closer
to contemporary understanding and have used
the word "love" instead of the word "charity,"
This is not a radical change because even the
giving of alms should be accompanied with the
spirit of love rather than any other feeling.
The English word which would more correctly reflect what is meant by this universal
religious rule of love would be the word "Kindness. " 'rhe American Heritage Dictionary of
the English Language (1969) defines "charity"
as "the quality or state of being kind" and it
defines the word "kind" as being "of a friendly, generous or hospitable nature; warmhearted; good." Also included in the definition is the
idea of being charitable, helpful, compassionate, humane, considerate, tolerant, courteous, gentle, and showing sympatny and understanding. All of these traits are admirable and
are easier to understand in one's heart and to
develop in one's conduct than the idea of
"love" which is correctly defined as an excessive feeling of warmth and admiration.
The word "kindness" appears in many
places in the Holy Bible. In Genesis (20:13)
Abraham says: "This is the kindness you must
do me: at every place to which we come, say to
me, He is my brother." In Job (6:14) it is said:
"He who withholds kindness from a friend forsakes the fear of the Almighty." In Proverbs
(21 21) it is said: "He who pulsues righteousness and kindness will find life and honor." In
Galatians (5:22) it is said: "But the fruit of the
Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness,
goodness, faithfulness." Sophocies many year.s
ago made the following obscrvation: "For
kindness begets kindness evermore." Henry
Bur!on gave the following advice: "Have you
had any kindness shown? Pass it on." Aesop,
the ancient writer of stories with a moral, in
The Lion and the Mouse said: "No act of kindness is ever wasted." Rousseau wrote: "What
wisdom can we find that is greater than kindness? "
There are times when the words "love" and
" kindness" are linked together. William
Wordsworth did this in 1798 in his "Lines
Composed a Few Miles Above Tintern
Abhey." He said: "The best portion of a good
man's life, his little nameless, unremembered
acts of kindness and of love." Las Casas, in his
Apologetic History wrote: ". . . the method
that is proper and natural to men is used, that
is, love and gentleness and kindness. '
Since the rule requires you to be as kind to
others as you are to yourself, the question
arises, what does one do to be kind to himself?
In order to be able to be kind toward others,
you must maintain your physical and mental
health by doing the things in your everyday life
that will maintain your strength and well being,
do interesting and meaningflll work that gives
you pleasure, and lead a goocl. clean and morai
life. Only in thls way will you be happy aud able
to be kind to others.
All of the traits covered in the word "kindness" are good and easier to follow, understand, and develop than the ideas conveyed
with the broad and indefinite word "love",
which, strictly speaking, means an excessive
feeling. Many persons rebel at the idea of loving
one's neighbor but welcome the iddea of being
kind. We might go so far as to say that the word
"kindness" is the magic word which can solve
many personal and community problems. It is
not an exaggerated word such as "love", and
covers a variety of situations. Consider how
easy it is to be kind by using at the proper time
the words "please," or "thank you," or "I am
sorry." Closely related to the word "kindness"
is the word "respect." In both words is the implied recognition of the value of the other person's feelings.
In Freemasonry the problem is simplified
because the tenets of the Craft are Brotherly
Love, Relief, and Truth. The word "brotherly"
modifies the broad meaning of the word
"love" when used by itself. The Prestonian lecture of the First Degree describes the beginning
of the statement as follows: "By the exercise of
Brotherly Love we are taught to regard the
whole human species as one family--the high
and the low, the rich and the poor--who, as
created by the one almighty parent, and inhabitants of the same planet, are to aid, support,
and protect each other. On this principle
Masonry unites men of every country, sect and
opinion, and causes true friendship to exist
among those who might otherwise have remained at a perpetual distance." The addition
of the word "brotherly" before the word
"love" not only restricts the meaning but
reduces the possibility of misinterpretation.
Dr. James Anderson, in his famous Constitutions of the Freemasons, published in 1723,
lists many Charges to a member of the Craft.
The list ends as follows: "Finally, All these
Charges you are to observe, and all those that
shall be communicated to you in another way;
cultivating Brotherly-Love, the Foundation and
Capstone, the Cement and Glory of this Ancient Fraternity." We further carry forth this
thought by incorporating into our ceremomes
the 133rd Psalm which starts with the words:
"Behold, how good and pleasant it is for
brothers to dwell in unity."
There comes to mind the story in Genesis
about Cain killing his brother Abel. When the
Lord inquired (4:8-9) of Cain: "Where is Abel
your brother?" he replied: "I do not know; am
I my brother's keeper?" ln Freemasonry there
can be no doubt whatsoever that this question
must be answered in the affirmative.
The Scottish Rite of Freemasonry has a
degree called the Rose Croix Degree which has
as its theme the quotation from the New Testament: "A new commandment I give unto you,
that you love one another." While to a Christian member this may represent a religious
Truth, it is not so intended in this Degree but is
designed to express a universal Truth recognized by all the great religions of the world. The
emblem of this Degree is a cross upon which
rests a rose. The cross is a symbol of space and
infinity; the rose is a symbol of the dawn.
Sometimes a banner is used in this Degree with
the words: "Faith, Hope, and Charity," which
are words found in all the great religions. The
basic message of this Degree is that all men are
brothers and that we are our brother's keeper.
The theme of love is found in the goals and
purposes of the appendant Masonic bodies and
youth groups, emphasizing the promotion of
"brotherly love," "love of country," "love of
parents, " and the adherance to the principles of
charity, relief and kindness.
If we substitute the word "kindness" for
the word "love" we are really conveying the
idea of what is truly meant by "love" in Freemasonry. The idea is well expressed in a poem
whose author is unknown:
If we can ease a brother's sorrow
And aid him in distress;
If we can brighten his tomorrow
With deeds of kindliness;
Then we have found God's meaning
Of the word called Charity
For when we give ourselves away
We've found life's mystery.
There have been innumerable stories written
in which Love is the vital core of the narrative.
The greatest love story ever written is the one
that explains that God loves each and every one
of us; that we can best show our appreciation
for His love by emulating Him; always being
kind in words, thoughts, and deeds when dealing with His children.
Bro. Cerza's address is 237 Millbridge Road,
Riverside, Illinois 60546.
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