A Reflection
On this Memorial Day
Here in Washington, our Standard Work, at the Closing of the Lodge contains the following:
“As the Flag is retired let us stand at salute in tribute to the emblem of the Nation that guarantees to its citizens the rights of free assembly, free speech, free worship – The rights of free men and of Freemasons.”
On this day, set aside in the United States to honor and remember all of those who have died while wearing a uniform of our armed services, that brief ritual snippet comes to my mind.
There was a time, not that long ago, in the scheme of things when men did not have the right to freely assemble, to freely speak their minds, to worship their God as they felt proper. A time in which men were subject to the whims and dictates of crown and mitre.
Indeed, there are still some places in this world where these rights still do not exist.
People fought, and bled, and died. Countless lives, over the course of centuries to ensure that we had these rights. The rights of Freemen and of Freemasons.
Not only Americans, but indeed people in every part of the world, fighting and dying to help ensure a brighter and freer future for everyone.
Their sacrifices, countless sacrifices secured our birthrights of liberty.
But of course, those rights are always under pressure. There are always those who would seek to curtail them. Men (and women) who would seek the powers of the crown, or the murderous intolerance of the mitre. Men here at home, and abroad.
It is our duty, on this day, to remember all of those who made the ultimate sacrifice so that we could live free. It is also our duty, I believe, for each of us to take stock of the rights we were born with, and to consider what our role must be in preserving those rights for our children and our grandchildren.
The sacrifice of so many allow us to enjoy the fruits of liberty. We owe it to all those who come after us to transmit to them the freedoms which we ourselves received. To do so we must ensure that we are informed, active, and engaged citizens.
To those who have fallen, may their memory be a blessing.
In Flanders fields the poppies blow Between the crosses, row on row, That mark our place; and in the sky The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below. We are the Dead. Short days ago We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow, Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe: To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high. If ye break faith with us who die We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.
by Lt.-Col. John McCrae - May 3,1915
My dear Brother Emeth. Powerful words with a powerful message. Thank you as always.