The Beacon - Sept 2013 newsletter

The Beacon - Central District Masonic Newsletter September 2013 page 1


September 2013

Issue #40

A Beacon is not a destination - It just helps to light the way

Masonic Higher Education

and Bursary Fund

www.mhebf.com/

Central District Web Page

mastermason.org/Beacon190/ddgm.htm

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To subscribe to the list go to the District

web page link above and click on

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www.freemasons.ab.ca See Grand Lodge menu on left side of page—Our

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See What’s on-line in Alberta - Enjoy your Masonic Year



Welcome to The Beacon

This newsletter is not an official Masonic publication and does not

express the policies or opinions of any specific Masonic Lodge, Dis-

trict or Grand Lodge.

So go ahead and enjoy it as my gift to you. If you have any ideas or

suggestions to improve it let me know - I will always listen, I may

not do anything about it, but I will listen. I would love to publish

some of the stories from around the District, Alberta or even Can-

ada. Stories about individuals, Lodge happenings, Lodge histories,

Masonic papers or articles of interest to other Masons.

This newsletter will not be published in paper format, but feel free

to print it out and pass on to a brother.

The subscription list for this newsletter is based

on the CDMEL (Central District Masonic Email

List). If you or a friend would like to be added to

the subscription list please go to the following link

and sign up.

www.mastermason.org/Beacon190/newsletter.htm

Instructions to unsubscribe are included with each email sent out.

W. Bro. Clark Johnston, Beacon #190,

[email protected]

Inside This Issue Page #

D.D.G.M. 3

Central District Research/Education &

Visitation 2014

4

Events 5

Beacon #190 - Family Picnic 6

Apollo #27—7 Masters 7

H.E.B.F. awards 8 & 9

Outdoor Lodges 10 & 11

Received for Readers 12

Talk by R.W. Bro. Hugh Goldie 13 –21

Moral Teachings of Freemasonry 22 & 23

Beacon Farewell - Table Lodge 24

Concordant Bodies 25

WILL THE FUTURE REMEMBER? S. Kenneth Baril 2005

Will the future remember? What we did here today? Will the future remember? If it does, what will it say?

Will it say we were humble? Will it say we lost sight? Will it agree with our reasoning? Whether wrong or right? Will the future remember? Of the subjects we spoke? Will it defend our actions? Or condemn promises we broke? Will the future remember? Will it forget our face? Will it understand our methods? To make your world a better place? Will the future remember? These men of the past? Will the future acknowledge? The shadows they cast? Will the future remember our relief To brothers in pain? Will the future remember? We did it without thought of gain? Will the future remember? We did the best that we could? Will the future remember? We tried to live as we should? Will the future remember? Our oaths on bended knee? Will the future remember promises made Between God, you and me? Whether or not the future remembers Or shares our point of view, You are the future, my children We did it for you!



Central District Officers 2008 - 2009

District Secretary VW Bro. Hal Neis (#27) 403-788-2126 [email protected]

Education & Research W Bro. Clark Johnston (#190) 403-347-7099 [email protected]

Masonic Higher Education Bursary RW Bro. Tom Clark (#151) 403-729-2340 [email protected]

Masonic Foundation W Bro. John Jardine (#18) 403-783-5418 [email protected]

RW Bro. Ron (Scottie) Vickers District Deputy Grand Master, Central District,

Grand Lodge of Alberta, AF&AM

5307 - 57 Ave,

Rocky Mountain House, AB T4T 1M7

Phone: Home: 403-845-6422 Cell: 403-844-1229

Email: [email protected]

www.mastermasom.org/beacon190/ddgm

Central District Web Page

http://mastermason.org/Beacon190/ddgm.htm

Some Lodges have a meal before the Lodge meeting - check for times

Central District Lodges - Meeting Nights (Dark Jul & Aug)

Innisfail #8 Innisfail 3rd Thursday 7:30 PM Oct 17

Eureka #10 Lacombe (Dark Jan & Feb) 4th Tuesday 8:00 PM Oct 22

Red Deer #12 Red Deer 2nd Tuesday 7:30 PM Nov 12

Mountain View #16 Olds 1st Monday 7:30 PM Nov 4

Britannia #18 Ponoka 1st Wednesday 8:00 PM Oct 2

Apollo #27 Stettler 3rd Thursday 8:00 PM Nov 21

Kenilworth #29 Red Deer 1st Tuesday 7:30 PM Oct 1

Kitchener #95 Rimbey 2nd Tuesday 7:30 PM Oct 8

Lochearn #151 Rocky Mountain House 2nd Thursday 7:30 PM Oct 10

Beacon #190 Red Deer 4th Monday 7:30 PM Nov 25

Official Visits

District Meeting:

Saturday October 5th , Red Deer Masonic Hall , 10 AM

http://www.mastermason.com/Innisfail_8/home_page.htm

http://mastermason.com/eureka10/

http://www.reddeerfreemason.com/

http://www.mastermason.com/mountainview16

http://www.mastermason.com/Britannia18_Ponoka/

http://mastermason.com/apollolodge27/

http://mastermason.com/Kenilworth29/

http://www.mastermason.com/Kitchener95/Default.htm

http://www.mastermason.com/Lochearn151/

http://mastermason.com/Beacon190



Central District Research / Education & Visitation 2014

Round #1 to be completed in the month of March

Monday March 24th - Red Deer

Beacon # 190 will be Host

Apollo # 27 will give presentation

Mountain View # 16 will be visitors

Tuesday March 11th - Rimbey

Kitchener #95 will be Host

Britannia #18 will give presentation

Eureka #10 will be visitors

Thursday March 20th – Innisfail

Innisfail #8 will be Host

Red Deer # 12 will give presentation

Mountain View #16 & Kenilworth #29 will be visitors.

Round [2] to be completed in month of April.

Tuesday April 8th – Red Deer

Red Deer #12 will be Host

Kenilworth #29 will give presentation

Apollo # 27 will be visitors

Thursday April 10th – Rocky Mountain House

Lochearn #151 will be Host

Beacon # 190 will give presentation

Innisfail #8 & Britannia # 18 will be visitors.

Tuesday April 29th – Lacombe

Eureka #10 will be Host

Lochearn #151 will give presentation

Kitchener #95

Questions, comments, suggestions,

ideas or complaints - please contact:

W Bro. Clark Johnston - R&E chair-

man [email protected]

or

RW Bro. Ron (Scottie) Vickers,

D.D.G.M. Central District

[email protected]



Central Alberta District

District Meeting

Please see the link below for the brochure for the Tri-Jurisdictional Grand Masters’ Outdoor Roaming Lodge that will take place in Waterton, Alberta on September 20-22nd. Within the electronic file are two brochures: one for the Program and Tick-ets and the other for accommodation. Click Here for information on Programs, Registration & Ac-commodation Click Here for Accommodation Update #1 Aug 4th. See Grand Lodge of Alberta web page for more updates

DDGM OFFICIL VISITS

Oct 1st Kenilworth #29 Red Deer

Oct 2nd Britannia#10 Ponoka

Oct 8th Kitchener #95 Rimbey

Oct 10th Lochearn #151 R.M.H.

Oct 17th Innisfail #8 Innisfail

Oct 22nd Eureka #10 acombe

Nov 4th Mountain View #16 Olds

Nov 12th Red Deer #12 Red Deer

Nov 21st Apollo #27 Stettler

Nov 25th Beacon #190 Red Deer

District Deputy Grand Master:

RW Bro. Ron (Scottie) Vickers

Saturday October 5th Freemason Hall

4811 52 Street, Red Deer, AB

Registration !0:00 AM

Education 11:00 AM

Lunch Noon (no charge)

Meeting 1:00 PM

Grand Lodge Officer Attending

RW Bro. John Slade, D. G. M.

Prospective DDGM Training Session

8 Sept 2013 Grand Lodge is presenting a training session regarding the responsibilities and duties of DDGMs on September

8 in Red Deer Masonic Hall. This training session is open to current

DDGMs and Masons who are consid-ering running for DDGM sometime in

the future. CLICK HERE for Registration Form.

http://mastermason.us5.list-manage2.com/track/click?u=01741a56e9a437ad24c639ca9&id=177b908055&e=3cf3cabd71

http://mastermason.us5.list-manage2.com/track/click?u=01741a56e9a437ad24c639ca9&id=177b908055&e=3cf3cabd71

http://mastermason.us5.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=01741a56e9a437ad24c639ca9&id=0088cddbb0&e=3cf3cabd71

http://mastermason.us5.list-manage.com/track/click?u=01741a56e9a437ad24c639ca9&id=e8776b4ee2&e=3cf3cabd71

http://mastermason.us5.list-manage.com/track/click?u=01741a56e9a437ad24c639ca9&id=5366e96b29&e=3cf3cabd71



This picture was omitted from the last newsletter. A great occasion at Apollo Lodge #27 in

Stettler where seven sitting masters - along with the DDGM were among the guests for the

evening. The occasion was part of the District Research and Education program with Kenil-

worth #29 making an education presentation to the Brethren of Apollo #27, with Eureka #10

being designated as official visitors. Several other brethren joined in to make the meeting

one of the larger gatherings at Apollo over the last few years. Shown in the picture L to R

W Bro. Mark Honert (Beacon #190), W Bro. Ron Vickers (Lochearn #151), RW Bro. Mur-

dock Cameron (D.D.G.M.), W Bro. Scott Savage (Apollo #27), W Bro. Bill Douglas

(Kenilworth #29), W Bro. Tom Coppeck )Beaver #56 Castor), W Bro. Allan Tarleton

(Kitchener #95, VW Bro. Jay Buyers (Eureka #10).

A great night of fellowship was had by all - look for the 2014 schedule to join in the fun

After Lodge Trivia: What is the length of a cubit?

“A measure of length employed by the ancients equal to the length of the arm from the elbow

to the tip of the middle finger. Among different nations the length of the cubit differed. Indeed

it was customary for the Master of the work to use the length of his own arm as standard. The

cubit of the Romans was about 17 2/5 inches; that of the Hebrews 22 inches, but its length is

now generally stated as 18inches.” Albert Mackey



On June 17, 2013, a Masonic Higher Education Bursary was presented to Kendra Barkman, an Olds Resident

who plans to attend the University of Alberta and prepare for a career in Dentistry. The presentation was

made in the Olds Masonic Hall.

Pictures above (L-R) RW Bro. Roger Kinney, RW Bro. David Langley, W Bro. Warren Wright (WM of

Mountain View #16), Kendra Barkman (Award recipient), RW Bro. Scotty Vickers (D.D.G.M. of Central Dis-

trict) W Bro. Syd Cannings, VW Bro. Stewart Monro. Also at the event but not pictured were, VW Bro Joe

Sargent and W Bro High Robinson.



Cole & Kendra receiving their Bursary certificates from RW Bro. Ron (Scottie Vickers, D.D.G.M. and W Bro.

Mark Honert, WM of Beacon #190.. Pictured below the recipients, their family & guests and the members &

visitors at Beacon #190 June meeting.

The Masonic Higher Education Bursary

Fund recognizes, promotes and supports

excellence in education for the benefit of

humanity.

Visit the new web page for the Masonic

Bursary fund and surf through the manual

to learn all about the fund. Read its his-

tory and see how it is managed. Its your

fund - remember to donate.

www.mhebf.com



Brethren of Innisfail Lodge #8 and visitors from around the District gathered once again in the

rolling hills west of Innisfail for their annual BBQ & Outdoor Lodge meeting to celebrate the

end of another Masonic year….. However, mother nature prevailed and we had to move inside

due to the rain. However the corner stove was stoked up and a great evening of fellowship was

enjoyed in a warm and friendly atmosphere - with the steaks cooked to perfection. The eve-

ning ended with a call to make it outdoors next year. Hope to see you there...



Eureka #10 knows how to throw a party, starting

with an afternoon of golf, a family picnic, an Out-

door Lodge meeting and a final get together

around the fire pit to close the day.

Thanks for a great day



Bros Jeff Luke Spicer & Jeff Hood (Beacon #190) after com-

pleting the Mud Hero obstacle course held at Canyon Hill Ski

hill in Red Deer this summer. Looks like they enjoyed them-

selves. To find out more visit the link below:

http://mudhero.com/FindanEvent/Eventreddeer.aspx

RW Bro. Joe Stalter (Beacon #190) sent us some

pictures from New Zealand - he went there for a

holiday and decided to return again on a more

permanent basis. This light house is at the most

northerly point in New Zealand. Where you can

see the meeting of two seas.

Not to sure about the picture of Beacon Lodge

New Zealand style, but at least it looks like a

busy Lodge as there is No Vacancy….



This talk was presented by R.W. Bro. Hugh Goldie on the occasion of his Offi-

cial Visit to his Mother Lodge - The Ancient St John’s No 3, May 2, 2013

Brethren it is a humbling feeling to be here with you this evening. I have always been in awe that we have sustained masonry here since 1794 two hundred and

nineteen years, it is difficult to imagine our meetings under candlelight and com-

ing to lodge in horse and buggy.

And if we think of the world then;

Napoleon was 25 and only a general in the French army The US flag had 15 stars and 15 stripes

Simple theft in Britain would mean 7 years in one of the colonies or even death;

public whipping was one of the more minor punishments. As a side line if you have the time Google the old bailey in London for the

year 1794 and look at the punishments handed out. It is fascinating to

look at and read the old transcripts

I read there of interest a case of a Tom Belamy who was accused of stealing nee-

dles. Case number 171. Tried by the second Middlesex Jury before Mr. Baron THOMPSON.

JOHN JELLISON and THOMAS BELLAMY were indicted for stealing, on

the 8th of February, 17000 needles, value 3s. 30000 pins, value 2s. Four pounds weight of pound pins, value 8s. The goods of Richard Coucher and

John Finch in their dwelling house.

John Jellison, GUILTY Of stealing but not in the dwelling house. (Aged 33.) Transported for seven years.

Thomas Bellamy, Not GUILTY.

Discipline and punishment have sure changed.

Tom Bellamy was found not guilty but maybe he decided to get out of the country anyway.

Now the question is can we sustain this lodge until 2232 another two hundred and nineteen years?

Society back in 1794 did not have the competition it has now. We now live in a so-

(Continued on page 14)



ciety where we do not even know our neighbours and communication is done from

a computer screen.

One of the greatest changes is that in the past one man working forty hours could

raise a family. In today’s society it requires two working eighty hours plus, just to

get by and; by the end of the week we are exhausted. In the past it was not uncom-mon to remain in one job for many years now the average worker will have five to

six jobs in his working career and move homes as many times.

However I think we need to take time out of our busy schedule; one evening a

month for 10 months is only 10 evenings out of the year and maybe you don’t

need to attend all of them we just need to remain active in lodge and support our fellow brethren. Putting this in real perspective this is less than 3% of the year. We

are already spending 20% of our time on the computer and 16% watching TV

that’s 36% of our time. We sleep 30% and work 30%; extracting yourself from staring at a monitor or a TV screen would benefit you immensely. Just the social

interaction would benefit all.

There is no problem with the Masonic idea of taking good men and making them

better or the moral and ethic beliefs. No one can argue with these concepts, they

are real and a solid foundation in life’s journey. But we need to spend some quality time on them. I remember our very staunch Irish Catholic priest constantly telling

us, time not spent well is lost time, never to be recovered.

Doing nothing for an hour. “Lost, somewhere between sunrise and sunset, one

golden hour, studded with sixty diamond minutes. No reward is offered for it has gone forever. How much time per night do we spend in front of the television or

computer monitor?

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you did-

n't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the

safe harbour. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." ( written by Samuel L Clemens also known as

Mark Twain, 1835-1910,

Brethren we need to think of what we can do not only to encourage new growth in

(Continued from page 13)




masonry but to think of what we ourselves are doing to encourage existing mem-

bers to participate, are we actually participating.

Any one in business these days will know the Pareto principle which I’m sure if

you haven’t heard of it most people here will know it. It is also called the Law of

the vital few. It can be used in many scenarios it basically says

80 percent of results come from 20 percent of efforts

80 percent of activity will require 20 percent of resources 80 percent of usage is by 20 percent of users

80 percent of the difficulty in achieving something lies in 20 percent of the chal-

lenge 80 percent of problems come from 20 percent of causes

80 percent of complaints come from 20 percent of people

80 percent of road traffic accidents are caused by 20 percent of drivers And of course 80 percent of Lodge work is done by 20 percent of the members

No one here can dispute these numbers and the sad thing about it, is the 20 percent

are always the same brethren. "If you think you're too small to have an impact, try going to bed with a

mosquito in the room." (Dame Anita Roddick, The Body Shop)

"Here is a test to find whether your mission on earth is finished: if you're alive, it isn't." (Richard Bach, b.1936, American writer and pilot

I would like to read you a story by Job Charles Osgood. This is a story of 4 peo-

ple; Anybody, everybody, somebody and nobody.

There was a most important job that needed to be done, And no reason not to do it, there was absolutely none.

But in vital matters such as this, the thing you have to ask

Is who exactly will it be who'll carry out the task?

Anybody could have told you that everybody knew

That this was something somebody would surely have to do.

Nobody was unwilling; anybody had the ability. But nobody believed that it was their responsibility.

It seemed to be a job that anybody could have done,





If anybody thought he was supposed to be the one.

But since everybody recognized that anybody could,

Everybody took for granted that somebody would.

But nobody told anybody that we are aware of,

That he would be in charge of seeing it was taken care of.

And nobody took it on himself to follow through, And do what everybody thought that somebody would do.

When what everybody needed to do did not get done at all, Everybody was complaining that somebody dropped the ball.

Anybody then could see it was an awful crying shame,

And everybody looked around for somebody to blame.

Somebody should have done the job

And Everybody should have, But in the end Nobody did

What Anybody could have.

Ask yourself which one are you? Anybody, everybody, somebody or nobody.

We cannot blame the lack of people in the lodge on not getting new membership;

this district is doing well for new members. We are failing ourselves in retaining interest. Instead of dreaming about the future or reminiscing about the past, live

for the here and now, thus creating a better future, by changing your actions today,

you can change tomorrow’s past. Every successful day you have will create a new history of past successes. Individuals often prefer to live in the past or future in or-

der to avoid dealing with the present.

Are we content with the status of masonry in general or our lodge in particular, are

we leaders or are we followers.

When leaders make a mistake, they say, “I was wrong.” when followers make mistakes, they say, “It wasn’t my fault.”

A leader works harder than a follower and has more time;

a follower is always “too busy” to do what is necessary. A leader goes through a problem;

a follower goes around it and never gets past it.





A leader makes and keeps commitments;

a follower makes and forgets promises.

A leader says, “I’m good, but not as good as I ought to be;” a follower says, “I’m not as bad as a lot of other people.”

Leaders listen;

followers just wait until it’s their turn to talk. Leaders respect those who are superior to them and tries to learn something

from them;

followers resent those who are superior to them and try to find chinks in their armor.

Leaders feel responsible for more than their job;

followers say, “I only work here.” A leader says, “There ought to be a better way to do this;”

followers say, “That’s the way it’s always been done here.”

Anne Frank said

"How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to

improve the world."

It is a fact that we enter into masonry blind and unable to see, most candidates

once light has been restored to them are seeing the inside of a Masonic lodge for the first time. They are viewing a huge jigsaw puzzle that hopefully we are going

to show them the plan so they can construct a full and complete picture without

any missing parts.

We must make this jigsaw puzzle an exciting adventure, a puzzle that makes you want to return over and over again to place another piece in the collage of Masonic

learning.

• The mediocre teacher tells, • The good teacher explains,

• The superior teacher demonstrates,

• The great teacher inspires. ----William Arthur Ward

Ask yourself what part of Masonic knowledge did you last tackle or investigate,

have we become complacent. Are we still relevant after 219 years?





An article in the British papers recently talks about Masonry rebranding itself to

encourage new membership. The following is taken from "It's About Time," a report completed following a

study focused on the need for Masonic Public Awareness. Produced by a spe-

cial task force from the Steering Committee of the Masonic Information Cen-ter, the report fulfills a request made at the 2004 Conference of Grand Masters

in North America to identify the image of the fraternity and its need for in-

creased public awareness. The study found the two leading problems were

1. Loss of Masonic identity

2. Lack of energy invested in Masonry This means our fraternity has suffered a loss of Masonic identity as an observable

way of life, and our lack of energy invested in Masonry no longer makes the fra-

ternity relevant to our busy contemporary lifestyles.

As Masons, we have taken our fraternity's identity for granted, and we have al-

lowed the general public to forget how important we are to the fabric of society. We forgot that what we do for each other, our lodges; we; enrich the quality of life

for our families and communities. Only recently has Masonry found a new place

in popular culture with the introduction of Dan Brown's books, "The DaVinci Code" and "The Lost Symbol" and the "National Treasure" movies. These novels

and films position our public identity in the context of historical fiction.

"We owe the public more than fiction; we owe them facts, and we owe them our

best performance every day,”

So how does the public perceive Freemasonry today?

In today's world of high-speed communications, the public's perception is often based on insufficient information. Research suggests that today, more people are

impressed by what they see and hear than by what they read. We believe that the

public's perception and opinion of Freemasonry can be summarized briefly in the following ways:

1. Confused. Are the Masons a fraternity, a religious organization or an alterna-

tive religion?





2. Mistaken. Only grandfathers could be in such an old-fashioned organization

as Freemasonry.

3. Oblivious. People are not even aware Masonry still exists. And that’s the one that hurts yes That hurts.

"Masons are not visible in the daily life of their communities. Their identity is fre-quently misunderstood and misrepresented in the press and by religious critics.

There is little reserve of positive memories of Masonic activity remaining in our

communities. Consequently, they have lost their significance within the context of community.

So how can we change this and regain the stature Freemasonry once held in

society?

"The model Masonic fraternity member would be easy to identify in the commu-nity by his actions and words. Public awareness of Masonry begins at a grassroots

level. Masons must be visible in the community to demonstrate Masonic values in

many aspects of their lives.

"As trustees of Masonry's rich and valuable heritage, members must continually

invigorate their approach to Masonic participation, making it an experience that is rewarding, enriching, and relevant to its members, their families and the greater

community.

"We have individually and collectively allowed our lethargy to encrust the jewel of

Masonry, which has been bequeathed to us to pass on to the future. Our focus on the past has blinded us to the challenges of the present. And it is the present that

we must address both as individuals and as a fraternal organization. Our reliance

on former brothers' successes has weakened our commitment to achieving our own Masonic identities. We must look squarely into the challenge of performing Ma-

sonry to the betterment of our fraternity and ourselves.

"The Square and Compasses, the best known symbol of a Mason, cannot replace

the identity of living the life of a Mason, which is itself perpetually in a state of

improving ourselves in body, mind and spirit. Masonic imagery is a valuable re-





source when it inspires us to take new action consistent with our personal growth

and enlightened thought. We must discover our own Masonic calling, our own

place in the history of Masonry, by making authentic Masonic performance our top priority.

"We must begin by uncovering the Mason within us so that we can present Ma-sonry in fact, and not in fiction. The personal journey will establish the presence of

Masonry in the public's view. Each of us has a responsibility to steward our re-

spected fraternity into the future, calling on our own spirit rather than deferring to those of our predecessors. We must exercise the same determination that we ad-

mire and celebrate in our heritage.

"We need ways of recognizing success, encouraging creativity, and rewarding ac-

complishments. Small actions, kind words and expressions of concern for others

are just a few examples.

"Our Masonic resources are great; the tools for honing the Perfect Ashlar in each

and every one of us are at our disposal, but they lie scattered across lodges,".

"We must put them to good use. We urge each lodge to inventory its tangible and

intangible assets, such as people, places, artifacts, relationships and systems. Al-though each lodge has an individual and valuable identity within the context of

Freemasonry, there is much to learn and share from one another's lodge-based ac-

tivities. With more than one and a half million members in North America, Masons are poised to sharpen the tools of our Craft to improve ourselves and to fulfill the

promise of the stewardship of Freemasonry." Specifically, the task force recommends planning meaningful meetings, programs,

activities and events at the lodge level that clearly put Masonic values into action.

It will require imagination, open-mindedness and discipline.

The change won't be easy and it won't happen overnight, but don't we owe it to our

forefathers, our children, our community, and ourselves? It's about time for us to take the concept of Masonry off the shelf and put the values of Masonry into ac-

tion.





Let's make it the fraternity that WE want - brother by brother, lodge by lodge!

Brethren we need to sustain this for the next 200 plus years. Again ask yourself

what are you doing? to promote masonry to the community. What are we doing to make masonry visible in the daily life of our communities. What perception do we

give our local community?

Life is an opportunity, …. benefit from it. Life is beauty, …. admire it.

Life is bliss, …. taste it.

Life is a dream, …. realize it. Life is a challenge, …. meet it.

Life is a duty, …. complete it.

Life is a game, …. play it. Life is a promise, …. fulfill it

Life is sorrow, …. overcome it.

Life is a song, …. sing it. Life is a struggle, …. accept it.

Life is a tragedy…. confront it.

Life is an adventure, …. dare it. Life is luck, …. make it.

Life is too precious, …. do not destroy it.

Life is life, …. fight for it. by Mother Theresa

As you all know I have the greatest grandchildren in the world Owen and Meghan

Our grandsons Sunday school teacher was concerned that his students might be a little confused about God, so he asked his class, "Where is God today?"

Young Johnie raises his hand and says, "He's in Heaven." Mary answers, "He's in my heart." Patrick says “he is everywhwere”

My grandson Owen waves his hand furiously and blurts out, "He's in our bath-

room!"

The surprised teacher asks Owen how he knows this.

"Well," said Owen, "every morning, my father gets up, bangs on the bathroom door and yells 'God, are you still in there?!'"

Brethren I thank you for your attention and patience thank you.




The Moral Teachings of Freemasonry—by J.S.M. Ward "By square conduct, level steps, and upright actions we may hope to as-

cend to those ethereal mansions whence all goodness emanates."

All through the ages the square has been regarded as the emblem of jus-

tice. In ancient Egypt when the gods appear as judges they are depicted

as seated on chairs in which a square is carefully portrayed, and even in

the ordinary speech of the outside world a square deal is the generally

recognized term for a fair and just transaction. It is not surprising

therefore to find that this implement plays a prominent part in our Ma-

sonic symbolism, in fact it is one of the very first tools to which the

attention of the apprentice is directed after he has received the light.

It should be noticed, however, that the three working tools of a F.C. are

also the characteristic jewels of the principal officers of the lodge,

and since in every degree the candidate passes, as it were, in review be-

fore each of them, we immediately obtain a valuable symbolic lesson,

namely, that we cannot make progress towards the light save by square

conduct, level steps and upright actions.

There is not much difficulty in understanding the significance of the

first and last phrases of the above sentences but sometimes there appears

to be a little uncertainty as to the exact significance of the phrase,

"level steps."

This implies that our feet are planted firmly on the ground and therefore

that we feel no uncertainty as to the direction in which we are moving,

neither will the winds of adversity divert us from our path.

We know also that the level implies that there is a natural equality be-

tween brethren, and so in the phrase, "level steps," we are taught that

we should go forward side by side with our fellow members, not trying to

push the weaker to the wall, in order to achieve our goal irrespective of

the claims of others. This fact is more significant than appears at

first sight. In real life some men are more spiritually evolved or more

intellectual than others, but we are taught hereby that instead of self-

ishly hastening on, such men should stay and help the weaker brethren,

lending to them something of their intellectual ability or their spiri-

tual insight so that they may keep pace with those more richly en-

dowed. This is peculiarly brought out in the way that Officers work in a

team for the good of the whole lodge and are promoted in rotation. It

is, indeed, a valuable lesson! The spirit of esprit de corps is a high

virtue and one which should particularly distinguish a Masonic lodge, and

the spirit which will lea d a more evolved brother to pause on his jour-

ney to help a weaker one is deserving of cultivation.

Moreover, it brings its own reward, for such an action is in the highest

sense unselfish, and thus further increases the spiritual evolution of

the man himself and brings him yet another step along the path which




leads to the goal towards which we are all striving.

When we look round the outside world and see how commercial competition

has produced a spirit wherein the weakest are thrust to the wall and men

say, "Let the devil take the hindermost," we see, that this little phrase

conveys, perhaps, one of the most important and salutary lessons needed

by the present generation, and gives another example of the truly exalted

moral teaching contained in every word and line of our craft rituals.

Indeed, this willingness to slow down one's own spiritual progress to

help another is the essence of self-sacrifice, and has been the guiding

principle which has inspired all the great spiritual teachers of the

world in their efforts to advance the well-being of struggling humanity.

Now it is important to realise that this spirit of self-sacrifice suc-

ceeds to "square conduct." In other words, it is only when a man has

learnt to be just to his fellow men that he can realise the next lesson,

which is that he must be more than just, he must give up his own rights

to help others. There would be nothing unjust in his outpacing his com-

panions, but it would be selfish, or at any rate self-centred. For all

that, it should be remembered that the square in some measure represents

the letter G. , which stands for

God, the Grand Geometrician of the Universe, the Just Judge. There are

other aspects of the Deity which are perhaps more lofty, but, as the old

Jewish teachers perceived, you must first make man realise that God is

Just before you can convince him that He is something even greater than

this, namely, a loving father.

Once, however, we have realised that God is just and that we are all par-

takers of the same nature, all equally His children, we shall perceive

that we shall hardly be acting justly to our fellowmen if we leave them

behind in the race, and do not help and assist them so that all humanity

may achieve the same goal.

The above facts also help us to understand the significance of the plumb

line, itself an emblem of God's unerring justice, for they cause us to

perceive that we must show forth the lessons we have learnt by upright

actions. Unless we show by our actions in life that we have assimilated

these important teachings, our knowledge is but vain, and herein it is

interesting to note that the level and plumb rule, or, rather, the plumb

line, will themselves form a square, thus showing that these three, sym-

bols are a trinity and may-be refer to the triune nature of the Supreme

Being.

We may at any rate feel sure that the brother who acts up to the princi-

ple of the square, level and plumb rule will not have laboured in vain in

the terrestrial lodge, and on quitting it may reasonably hope that he

will be permitted to enter that Temple not built with hands, eternal in

the skies.




Not the Giraffe Joke

…..again

A mighty toast to…

? ? ? ? ?

Rapt attention to

“the Battle of the Jokesters”

Beacon #190 ends the year with a very festive and entertaining Table Lodge Thanks Brethren for a good year



Royal Arch, Lebanon #38

Meetings: Third Thursday

Apollo Lodge Hall, 5114-50 Ave Stettler, AB

Contact: Jim Lockhart, [email protected] 403-742-5775

Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite, Lodge of Perfection, Central Valley

Meetings: 3rd Tuesday, 8:00 pm

Freemason Hall, 4722 - 49B Ave, Lacombe, AB

Contact Jim Innes, 403-343-3086

Mountain View #1 (Olds) 1st Tuesday - Venus #2 (Red Deer) 2nd Monday

Alexandra #4 (Lacombe) 2nd Tuesday - Victoria #14 (Stettler) 3rd Monday

Innisfail #37 (Innisfail) 1st Thur.

Concordant Bodies

Al Shamal - (Edmonton) - Regional Club: Battle River

Contacts: Cliff McDermott - Red Deer [email protected]

Don Anderson - Stettler - [email protected]

Al Azhar - (Calgary) - Red Deer Unit

Meetings - 3rd Wed. Freemason Hall, 4811-52nd Street, Red Deer, AB, Pres.:

President: Noble Bill Canning 403-346-4414 [email protected]

Secretary: Noble Jim (JJ) Corbett 403-341-6065 [email protected]

The Beacon - Sept 2013 newsletter

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Transcript of The Beacon - Sept 2013 newsletter