Short Talk Bulletin November 1978
Music on this page is: cosi fan tutte overture by Brother Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
THE BENEFITS of MASONIC MEMBERSHIP
by
Alphonse Cerza
With pleasure we present this Short Talk
Bulletin prepared by the noted Masonic
scholar and author, Brother Alphonse Cerza.
He brings into perspective a variety of the
answers we can all use in answering the title
question .
Occasionally a member is asked by a non-Mason "What benefits do you receive from
your Masonic membership?" Most members
when asked this question for the first time have
difficulty knowing what to say. This is especially true if the member has not given the matter any thought or he has had no experience
explaining things to others. The situation can
be further complicated for the member who
erroneously believes that Freemasonry is a
"secret" society and that the answer he may
give might be disclosing a Masonic "secret."
We also must recognize that Freemasonry has
so many facets and attractions that each member has sought membership in the Craft for a
reason personal to himself. Each has entered
the lodge in search of something that is probably different than another member.
It is hoped that he has found in Freemasonry
that which he was seeking. This facet or attraction is intimately connected with the specific
benefit which the member logically would explain in his answer to the question if he is not
prepared to answer the question as a result of
careful thought and consideration of all the
possible benefits that have come to him as a
result of his becoming a Mason. Every member
should be aware of the possibility that such a
question might be asked of him and he should
be prepared to answer it fairly, truthfully, and
completely. Here are some observations on the
matter that will help you answer the question
under consideration.
A benefit may be considered as anything
which is helpful, profitable, favorable, and
advantageous to a person. A benefit may take
many forms such as improving a person in
some way, promoting his happiness, raising his
status socially, increasing his personal contacts
with others, or assisting him in any number of
other ways. In a general way the benefits of
Masonic membership are both tangible and
intangible.
Here are a few of the tangible benefits that
come to mind at once. Many Grand Lodges
maintain a Home for the needy members in
their Golden Years. Some maintain a Home for
the children of deceased members. It is a comfortable feeling to know that if you have minor
children, and with an untimely death that your
children will be taken care of by the Craft; and
if you are unable to take care of yourself in
your declining years, it is a calming feeling to
know that there will be help available for you
and your wife. In some areas the Craft maintains a hospital for the public and takes care of
the needy members of the Craft as well when
they require medical attention.
Most lodges have sick visitation committees.
When a report is received of a sick member,
steps are taken to have someone visit him.
These visits are good for the person who is sick
as well as for the one who is doing the visiting.
If you are sick in bed or home bound, it is a
great feeling to know that out there is someone
who cares enough to take time to visit you. All
members are taught to be charitable in word
and deed. The word "charity" is used in the
Craft in its broadest sense. When visiiting a sick
Brother you are urged to listen to his troubles,
sympathize with him, and to help him unburden
himself. Often the faithful breast and the listen-
ing ear can do more good than all the medicine
in the world to improve one's spirits.
Many lodges have Low Twelve Clubs in
which members make a nominal payment each
time a member passes away. The money is deposited in a bank account and when word is received that a member has died, the treasurer
immediately presents the family with a check
for the prescribed amount so that it may be
used to meet expenses at once.
Some lodges and some Grand Lodges con-
duct a blood bank program. Members of the
lodges volunteer to give blood to the bank.
When a member or someone in his family are in
need of blood to regain their health, the blood
in the bank is made available to them without
cost .
If a Mason finds himself stranded in a
strange place and is in need of help, there is always available help not too far away. In some
areas there are Masonic Boards of Relief to
help in such cases. In other places the needy
Mason can contact the local lodge which will
render whatever assistance is necessary.
Many illustrations can be given of how
Masonic charity has been dispensed to members
and their families. Here are a few of them. A
widow of a deceased member was in need of her
house being painted and she called the secretary
of the lodge for a recommendation of a painter
who could do the job at a reasonable price.
Knowing the tight financial condition of the
caller, the secretary informed the Worshipful
Master and a meeting was called at which the
officers met to discuss the matter. As a result,
several members donated the necessary material
to paint the house for the widow. In Canada
several years ago a widow called the Masonic
Board of Relief and requested help in an unusual situation. A family of skunks had settled
in the crawl space under her house and she
needed help to remove the new tenants. A number of lodge members were enlisted to bring this
about.
(Many fascinating examples of Masonic
Charity can be found in prior Short Talk Bulletins. Indexes are available at no charge.)
Clearly, the intangible benefits predominate
over the tangible ones. In some instances the
benefits defy classification because they are a
blend of both general benefits. The first benefit
received by a candidate for the degrees is the
contacts he makes with those that recommend
him and those who investigate his petition. The
next benefit is the receiving of the three degrees
and the friendships that develop with the poster
and others connected with his securing the
needed proficiency to advance from one degree
to the other. The ceremony of receiving the
degrees together with the lectures is a new experience and hopefully the candidate has come
to the meetings in the spirit of anticipating an
important event with a receptive heart and
mind. The impressive presentation is bound to
have an important effect on him. He is bound
to observe that he is the center of attraction,
that the degree is conferred on him alone, and
that we are concentrating our attention on him.
This should convince him that we are devoted
to the importance of each person who joins us
in our work.
There are a number of intangible benefits
that do not readily meet the eye, but they do
exist in ample measure. Freemasonry is a selective organization and not everyone is accepted
as a member. The mere fact that an application
for membership has been filed indicates a desire
to belong to something and to be associated
with something worthwhile. He may not recognize this intangible element but he is seeking to
"belong" to a worthwhile organization and to
make his contribution to the work of the group.
Let us recognize that there is nothing more
destructive of one's happiness than the feeling
of being alone, of not being a part of anything
worthwhile. When he becomes a member he
acquires a large number of new Brothers bound
by a solemn obligation to do everything possi
ble to make this a better world in which to live.
I know of one case where an only child joined a
Masonic lodge and after he became a member
was filled with joy for he was no longer an only
child but had acquired Brothers that he did not
have before.
Joining the Craft immediately gives the new
member a new identity. He becomes a member
of a world-wide fraternity dedicated to the
Fatherhood of God and the Brotherhood of
Man. Non-members are aware of the many fine
charitable projects supported by Masons, and
when a member is identified as such it is bound
to reflect favorably in the eyes of the nonmember. There is also the matter of securing
identity with other Masons and creating warm
friendships. Each member knows that in
common with all other members he has taken a
solemn obligation to be a good man and true.
As a result, when meeting another Mason there
is immediately established a close sense of
friendship resulting from the unexpressed
knowledge that they both have a common philosophy of life which makes them better men
and that they can help and trust one another.
This matter of identity is indicated by the many
Masons who wear a Masonic pin and thereby
tell the world of their identity with the Craft.
The member who becomes active in the
work of the Craft acquires some degree of leadership and eventually develops a feeling of
"importance" because he is serving the organization in worthwhile activities. Every person, in
order to be happy, must feel that he is important to his family, his employer, his community,
or some other group. The more experiences
exist in one's life the happier that person is
bound to be. Sometimes we complain about the
many persons who are introduced at Masonic
meetings, but this is one way that we show our
appreciation for work done and making the
worker feel important because of services
rendered.
Even the inactive member who pays his dues
and attends Masonic functions occasionally will
get a glow of satisfaction as he hears of the
many activities being supported financially and
otherwise by the Craft.
One of the most valuable benefits that is
secured by being a Freemason is the unlimited
opportunity to make deep and abiding friendships. Working with other good men on worthy
projects has a way of developing into close
friendly relations with a feeling of mutual
respect for one another. You know that in case
of need you can speak safely in confidence with
a brother Mason. In case you are dejected you
know that you have someone to speak with and
unburden yourself as you pour your troubles
into a sympathetic ear. I know of two cases of
bachelors who lived in a single room each in
separate boarding houses. Each night they went
to a different lodge meeting with regularity so
that over a period of time they virtually adopted
certain lodges as their own. The friendships
that they developed and the visiting they were
able to do each night enriched their lives immensely and saved them from the boredom of
sitting in a single room looking at four walls
night after night.
Active members receive the greatest benefit
from their connection with Freemasonry. Opportunity is afforded to develop one's memory,
working with others, learning to organize projects, develop speaking ability by making reports and presenting lectures, and learning how
to work with others. There are many members
who have no opportunity for an extensive formal education to thus secure considerable
educational training.
The intangible benefit that is often overlooked is that the Craft teaches its members a
philosophy of life. The importance of this benefit should not be overlooked because every
person needs a philosophy of life to guide him
or her in the journey through life. In past years
a great deal of the turmoil with our youth was
the confusion relative to an absence of a philosophy of life as they floundered around seeking
something but not knowing what it was. Sometimes these young folks spoke of high ideals but
really had nothing that would guide them into
meaningful activities to make these ideals a
reality. If we could only reach the minds of
these young people they and the Craft could
profit greatly.
Another intangible benefit is the opportunity which the Craft offers its members to become associated with worthy projects that help
make this a better world in which to live. These
consist primarily of the many charitable projects that are supported by the lodges, the Grand
Lodges, and the appendant bodies of the Craft.
Non-members are aware of the spirit of
friendship that exists between members of the
Craft. The question is sometimes asked out of
curiosity whether Masons are required to patronize other Masons in their business transactions. Every Mason knows that there is no such
rule of the Craft. But we must recognize that
when one is considering entering into a business
or professional relationship he is more likely to
select someone that he knows and trusts. If you
need the services of a real estate broker, for
example, and you have been working on a project with a fellow member of your lodge, there
can be little doubt that all things being equal
your Masonic friend will receive your patronage. Personal contacts, working together, developing friendships is bound to result in business
and professional relationships in many instances even though no Masonic law requires
this to be done.
For the member who is interested in intellectual pursuits, the reading of Masonic books
especially in the area of Masonic philosophy
and history, can be a valuable experience.
These books, of course, can be read by non-Masons but they will not be able to receive full
benefit of the material in these books because
of their lack of complete information about the Craft.
Each member, if he gives this matter some
thought, undoubtedly can recall instances in
which his Masonic membership has proved to
be a benefit to him. Above all else, it is well to
be prepared to answer the question should the
occasion arise, "What Benefits do you receive
from your Masonic membership?"
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