Cabletow 4th issue - GM Ebdane - Grand Lodge of the Philippines

The Cabletow
“As he presses on in his journey for further light, man encounters Doubt (the 2 nd
J). the little knowledge which man has is largely confined to material things, and
there is doubt about those things which are spiritual. The square, symbolical of the
earth, may be used by Doubt and a correct understanding of eternal and spiritual
truths is thus prevented.
“As man still presses onward, he will encounter a third and more deadly enemy
– Prejudice (the 3 rd J), which often slays him and stops his progress. The word
prejudice comes from the Latin prae, meaning before, and judicium, meaning
judgement. Prejudice is a previous judgment, clung to even after contrary facts are
disclosed. Our prejudices, or previous judgments, often come from the passions.
Fear, hatred, jealousy, and love of the passionate sort, all engender prejudice.
These passions have their abiding place in the physical.”
After citing Bro. Bell’s symbolic meaning of the ruffians’ violence on the GMHA,
MW Puno concluded that “the legend of Hiram Abiff warns man to watch out for
three evils: ignorance, doubt in spiritual truth, and prejudice arising from passions.
These three triggered the violence against and caused the death of Hiram Abiff.
They are still killing men in every corner of the world. They are the ones that killed
the victims of terrorism in the United States, Afghanistan, and other countries.”
Then he stressed that “the war on terrorism has rekindled the debate on how
man should deal with violence,” and that “Masonry is not without an answer to this
paradox.” He reminded the brethren that:
… there are two groups of criminals who conspired to murder Hiram Abiff. The
first group included the three ruffians who, blinded by ignorance, doubt and prejudice,
proceeded with the murder of Hiram Abiff. The second group included the
Fellowscrafts who, stricken by their conscience, desisted from consummating their
conspiracy. In the legend of Hiram Abiff, Masonic justice was meted to these two
kinds of wrongdoers.
He then quoted the Masonic Service Association (MSA) on the quality of Masonic
justice, as follows:
“… Masonic justice calls for the destruction of those who are committed to
destroy the good, forgiveness to those who repent of their evil ways, and
reconstruction of society from the wreckage wrought by the bad.
“… The first step was to impose the supreme penalty on those who had possessed
the will to destruction and therefore had to be destroyed lest tragedy follow. The
greatest enemy o man makes war upon the good; to it no quarter can be given.
Cabletow 44