May - Scottish Rite

Fraternity is what makes us who we
are — as fishermen and as Masons.
episode. Liberty is about doing what you believe
— and what you know — is right and enjoying
what you do because you are free to do so.
Second, equality is the reality among all
fishermen. One can buy a bass boat as expensive
as a large car, but the boat does not reel in the
fish.
Stores will sell a matched rod and reel set for as
little as $15 or as much as $500. There are
differences, but the fish do not see the difference.
All they see is the bait.
My ten-year-old partners on the pier caught
more fish with their crayfish and worms
than I caught with my lures and plastic bait. They
had three years’ experience to my 20 years.
Fish do not rate age or experience as matters to
determine which hook to bite. The great lesson in
Masonry is that we all work on a single level.
Albert Pike rightly emphasized the equality of
this fraternity even in his writings that
illuminated the Scottish Rite degrees that seem
to mark the 32° Mason as more advanced than
the Master Mason. Brothers, we are all equal
regardless of our vocations, achievements or
stations in life.
Last, fraternity is that understanding that all
who share an interest are Brothers and friends.
How could I not invite two boys who called
the desert “home” the chance to be a brother?
Imagine the possibility if I hooked them the
way cub scouts hooked me years ago. They would
treasure the sounds and smells of water.
Perhaps they would marvel at the sight of a
fish making its way through the water. The savor
of a well-cooked filet would mean more to them
because they had an invitation to become part of
that fraternity of men who consider “wetting a
line” a good reason to go to the water and enjoy
what God has given to this earth.
Fraternity is what makes us who we are — as
fishermen and as Masons. Bro. Pike taught us to
savor the fraternity that this ancient craft offers.
I noted in my opening that this reflection was
not about fish and landing the big one. We all
have the capacity to apply the best ideals of
fishing to Freemasonry.
Our best thinkers and authors did not use
fishing images, but their wisdom and energy
remind us how this fraternity gives value to our
lives.
At the risk of applying the tools of my actual
trade, we have a duty to fish for men. We need to
invite them to enjoy the liberty, equality and
fraternity prepared for us by our ancestors in the
craft. And if we need to adapt the bait we use to
attract new Brothers, well, now, isn’t that just
fishing by any definition?
Cast
the net.
Who is to know if we “set the hook” in a man
who gives a lifetime of service to Masonry
unless we go fishing? How can we know which
men harbor a healthy curiosity in our ancient
craft until we throw the net over the side of the
boat and draw it back in? Brothers, maybe it is
time for us to go fishing in the best way we can
as Brother NL Masons.
The Northern Light / May 2010 17