|
Something
to Think About
MASONIC
EDUCATION PROGRAM
I Am Freemasonry
by Ray Vaughn Denslow
I was born in antiquity,
in the ancient days
when men first dreamed of God.
I have been tried through the ages,
and found true.
The crossroads of the world bear the imprint of my
feet,
and the cathedrals of all nations mark the skill of my
hands.
I strive for beauty
and for symmetry.
In my heart is wisdom
and strength
and courage
for those who ask.
Upon my alters is the Book of Holy Writ,
and my prayers are to the One Omnipotent God.
My sons work and pray together,
without rank or discord,
in the public mart and in the inner chamber.
By signs and symbols I teach the lessons of life
and of death
and the relationship of man with God
and of man with man.
My arms are widespread to receive those
of lawful age and good report
who seek me of their own free will.
I accept them and teach them to use my tools in the
building of men,
and thereafter, find direction in their own quest
for perfection,
so much desired and so difficult to attain.
I lift up the fallen
and shelter the sick.
I hark to the orphans' cry,
the widows tears,
the pain of the old and destitute.
I am not church, nor party, nor school,
yet my sons bear a full share of responsibility
to God, to country, to neighbor
and themselves.
They are freemen,
tenacious of their liberties
and alert to lurking danger.
At the end I commit them as each one
undertakes the journey beyond the vale
into the glory of everlasting life.
I ponder the sand within the glass
and think how small is a single life
in the eternal universe.
Always have I taught immortality,
and even as I raise men from darkness into light,
I am a way of life.
I Am Freemasonry.
|
