Like the struggling artist who toiled through life and found no success until he was dead, we rarely hear all the good there is to say about a brother until he has passed to the Grand Lodge above. On the day of the memorial service, when we dutifully don our regalia and solemnly gather to pay our respects, we will sit quietly as a queue forms and each brother steps to the podium to reminisce about the man and the good he did for those around him. How sad it is that we didn’t know him well enough or didn’t think it was important enough to make that acknowledgement when we could still look him in the eye and shake his hand.
It isn’t true that the only good Mason is a dead Mason, yet we fail to appreciate that the brother sitting next to us in the lodge room is a good man whose life and deeds should matter to us. It may be human nature that we take such things for granted, and nothing drives that truth home like a memorial service for a fallen brother.
Think back to the last service you attended. Perhaps you didn’t even know the man, but those who did certainly had plenty to say. By the time you walked away to carry on with your own life, you were left asking yourself why you didn’t make the effort to get to know him. We should not dismiss the fact that, although his passing is deeply felt by those close to him, his death remains a collective loss for all of us, aggravated by the truth that we did not endeavour to know him when we had the chance.
It is easy to lose sight of the individual Mason in the crowd that is Freemasonry; yet no other organization offers such a wonderful opportunity to be with men of like mind and strong character. Like you, he chose of his own free will and accord to spend his time with you. Give of yourself, for the potential exists that he may become an important part of your life. Each moment you spend with that man will be a gift, and when his time is at end, you will be content in your memory of him.
Before you are called to the next memorial service, seek out that man who is your brother and your friend. You will never know if the next funeral you attend will be your own, and by then it will be too late…
Brightest Blessings,
W. Bro. Daniel Boyco, W.M.
Exemplar Lodge #175
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