Before I begin, I’m sure in however long your experience in Masonry has been, whether you just passed your Fellow Craft Degree, or have just received a long service jewel, well over 95% of the lectures you’ve heard or the articles you have read have had, either to do with masonic history whether the mysterious origins or ancient cultures, or the glory days in past master stories, or the masonic present, on the problems the craft faces today and the ever-present stories of decline. However, very few, lectures or articles deal with the future of Masonry. The gift that we give our new brothers. The seed that we plant in our lodges today may well grow into a mighty oak, but has just the same chance to be a stunted shrub. It is a new duty that we must take up; our original duty to preserve the rituals and traditions of our craft and now to look towards the future and embed in our members the true essence of Freemasonry which is to be learned through study, duty, and self-reflection.

That being said, today’s lecture has to do with three simple questions. It is said that the simplest of questions lead to the deepest thoughts. Today, with these three questions, I hope to change the way you see Masonry, and the way you see your Lodge. If you have already answered these three questions, then as far as I am concerned the future of Freemasonry is safe in your hands. However, in my experience, not many already do.

The first question is, “Why are you here?” Why are you sitting in that chair right now? Just think about it for a minute…. Do you enjoy a night out with the guys? Are you here to learn about a hidden world? Do you just come for the food and drink? Are you here to stoke your ambition and rise in the ranks? Maybe you want to get away from the wife for one night. Whatever your answer is, now comes part two of the question, and it’s just as simple: Why? Why do you like meeting these people? Why do you need a night away from your family? Why do you like to learn the rituals and the traditions? It is after answering this second part that you find out why masonry is important to you, and if you realize that it isn’t important to you, then I would sincerely suggest that you leave right now. Life is far too meaningful to waste on things you don’t find important. If you are still struggling to answer the first part, then I would suggest you take some time to experience all that your Lodge and Masonry have to offer. However, I do hope that the answer to your question is a positive one. That you come to gain rather than to run away from. There is nothing wrong if your answer is to run away or get away, but I would impress upon you to find a positive reason to come to lodge. It will make your Masonic journey a much more fruitful one.

After you’ve answered the first question, you now have in your hands, something that’s a very big part of your life. Now, the second question is, “What do you do with it?” In our rituals and degrees, we are given working tools, symbols of virtues that we should aim to expound. Masonry is one more tool, and there is only one use for a tool. Work. From the ancient stonemasons to their contemporary counterparts to our current system, Masonry has always been about work. You need to work to get the most out of Masonry, and this is where the second question become prevalent. Now that you know why Masonry is important to you, what do you do with it? The answer is just as simple: Get to work. Whatever your interest in Masonry is, work towards doing the most that you can to improve that area for both yourself and your lodge. If your interest is rituals, then constantly study, practice, and learn so that you can deliver them with confidence or become a reliable brother for others to depends upon during degrees. If you come for the brotherhood, then make it a point to expand your friendship to all brethren, and spend time learning about them and make it a point to inquire about any hardships or struggles they may be facing. If you come for the food and drink, maybe make it a point to suggest new and interesting dishes, or maybe just a different whisky each meeting. There is a lodge in Utah that recently had a Whisky and Cigar tasting event. Whatever your interest is, or whatever you find important to you, make it a point to invest time and muscle to take it to its fullest potential. Masonry can be the best thing that’s ever happened to you, but if you don’t do anything with it, it’s nothing more than a showpiece on your cabinet.

Now that you know why Masonry is important to you, and what to do with it, comes the last, and most important question, “How can I pay it forward?” With all that you have learned and experienced from the work you have done, it’s time to say, now that I have improved myself, first, what can I do to improve my lodge, and second, what can I do to improve freemasonry in general. The second part is something that you’ll have to answer much further down in your Masonic journey, so let’s focus on the first part. What can you do to improve your lodge? It is the duty of every Mason, to contribute something towards the improvement of his lodge every year, non-financially. Yes, the Lodge can always use more money, but it is work that will give the most benefits. For example, our Ritual books are scanned copies of an original lost many years ago, and getting new ones from the Grand Lodge of Ireland takes time and money. My current project is to re-type the entire rituals from the Craft Lodge EA, through the Mark Degree and onto the Chapter workings, so that we can print better quality rituals books for our new brethren right here. In your field of interest (what you answered in the first question) find a way to apply your knowledge and experience to provide a benefit that your entire lodge can enjoy. This not only improves the quality of your lodge, but also improves the quality of new brethren, and cements the working bonds of brotherhood that each of you enjoy, for it is only through work that we can strive to build the temple, and it is only through work can we can strive to build ourselves.

If you answer these three questions: 1) Why are you here? 2) What do you do with it? And 3) How can I pay it forward? You will enjoy Masonry at an entirely new level, and in the process, provide a stable foundation for new brethren and the future of your lodge. I hope that you answer these questions with serious thought and eventually come to view Masonry on scale that is much bigger than just yourself, or your lodge.

I said in the beginning that the future of Freemasonry is a topic that is not often written about, but it is a topic that I have a lot of passion for. I hope that some of you may find a similar passion and strive to make Freemasonry better not only for yourself, but for everyone around you as well.

Fraternally yours,

Flynn Francisco

W.M. Swastik Lodge 771 I.C., Mumbai

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