THE LETTER OF THE Master of the Lodge

A SMALL SPACE

Dearest Brother,
How long have you been a freemason?
I was initiated on January 23, 2015, at the beautiful temple in Udine, unfortunately no longer existing, of which you can find some photos at the bottom.
At the end of the ceremony, I was embraced by the other brothers, who gave me their warm welcome to Masonry. From now on, they told me, you will be part of our venerable institution. The sense of belonging makes you proud, but is it a point of arrival? Obviously not, and we know it well, as the Exhortation tells us:
As a last general recommendation, I urge you to devote yourselves to every search that a man who is respectable in life can do at the same time, useful to his fellow men and capable of doing honor to the Institution of which you have joined today. Study particularly, among the Sciences and the Liberal Arts, those which fall within the scope of your abilities, and, without forgetting the normal duties of your social condition, strive to make a daily advance in the knowledge of Masonry.
Daily progress... I thought it was quite a commitment, dedicating space every day to this new path of mine, with all the work and family responsibilities! However, over time I have understood that this commitment can be declined in various ways. The essence, I believe, doesn't necessarily lie in setting aside who knows how many hours of study, but maintaining a mental space where every now and then you can think back, even if for a few moments. A refuge from the clamor of life. The connection can be an article casually read in the newspaper, or a discussion with a layman, ideas that can make us "jump" for a few minutes into our mental Masonry world, to confront ourselves with the contents we have found in the ritual and with its symbols. An example? Some time ago I had to deal with a supplier of my company who had placed a triangle in his logo because, he said, it gave him "a sense of balance", and he was an absolute layman. This got me thinking on the journey home, about fifteen minutes. This was possible because I wanted to leave some time for this thought during my car journey.
The point is precisely this: we have control, we can decide whether to grant ourselves this mental space. Among the many questions that are asked to a knocker during tiling, this should never be missing: are you always willing to find some of this space?
Soon!
S&F

W.M. M.B. Master of Lodge