In a way, I don’t know why I argue with myself. Perhaps I am just lazy and can’t find the proper sparring partner with which to duke it out. Whatever the case, I have come to the realization that the title of “Past Master” and its accompanying honorific, “Worshipful Brother” have been earned. They have been earned by both myself and my family.
I have been accepting it more after reading the obituary section of the paper. A Past Master died on Saturday and his family honored his Masonic career by specifically mentioning his term as Master. The honor of Past Master is not only borne by me but also by my wife who spent days at home alone for me to help run this committee or that committee, be at this event, or that event, and to travel hours away and come home late into the night. She allowed me to do this even while pregnant.
The role of Master is also one of intense thought. A Master shouldn’t be at every committee meeting nor should he be willing to lay down his familial obligations to take care of lodge business. He should be ready to answer a phone call, to ask if a brother needs our assistance, and to both give and receive instruction through the attentive ear.
My advice to all Masters or brothers in the progressive line is to use themselves and their lodges as guinea pigs. The lodge is a laboratory, a place that new ideas can spring anew. Don’t allow the dull business drag your lodge to irrelevance. We were once the salons of discussion. If you would like to host a table lodge/EA degree, check with your Grand Lodge, and if it’s okay, plan it. If you want more papers on Masonic subjects, or non-Masonic subjects, plan to read at least one at each stated meeting.
Being Master is probably the most rewarding experience I have had in Masonry. If you are fortunate to serve in that role, relish the time you have in that chair. Your year will move incredibly fast. Plan accordingly. With all that being said, yes, you may call me Worshipful Brother Nick.
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3 comments:
Brother, you aren't arguing with yourself. Your first post was the modesty expected of someone who has served their brethren well.
This second post is the truth behind that modesty: you're a good man with a family who stood by him during a lengthy trial.
Being a Freemason equates to being a perpetual learner, and this post in particular has served as a lesson for myself and others who are moving through the progressive line.
Congratulations on a good year, Worshipful Sir. :)
-A certain well-armed tyler
We're a little more formal up here. We don't say "Worshipful Brother Stan" or "Worshipful Stan." We use surnames.
It's proper Masonic protocol for a Past Master to be addressed as "Wor. Bro. ____" so you are following long-established Masonic protocol by being addressed this way.
Whether one has "earned" the title can be a subjective thing. So it's realistically up to the brethren to decide. And most Masons are astute enough to make the decision whether one has worked for the benefit of his Lodge in particular and the Craft in general, or is just collecting titles that really mean nothing outside our circle nor once we move on to the next life.
My last name is Johnson. Saying Worshipful Brother Johnson in Minnesota would be hilariously funny. ;)
Nick
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