Ancient Temple - 12/4/07

The word associated in many people's minds with the Masons is stone. I
remember visiting the VA Hospital one year during the holidays as part of
Howard Lasker's great effort. I walked into a patient's room to bring him
his gifts and told him the presents were compliments of the Masons. He then
proceeded to regale me with stories about how he too had spent his entire
career as a mason, a stone mason. It took me awhile, but I was finally able
to explain the difference. We had a nice chat, which was the purpose of the
visit, but this story does prove my point about some people's perception of
our Fraternity.
More important though is how we understand the significance of the word
stone as it is used in our Standard Work. There are stone masons and there
are Living Stone Masons. "The Common Gavel is an instrument used by
operative Masons to break off the corners of rough stones, the better to fit
them for the builders use; but we as Free and Accepted Masons, are taught to
use it for the more noble and glorious purpose of divesting our hearts and
consciences of all the vices and superfluities of life, thereby fitting our
minds, as living stones, for that spiritual building, that house not made
with hands, eternal in the heavens."
This is one of the most eloquent passages in all Masonry and it occurs early
in the First Degree on purpose. For the Entered Apprentice it prepares the
stage for what is to come. Here, the words "living stones" are presented for
the first time. All of us, no matter how many times we hear this phrase, are
struck by its beauty, but its meaning? The better to fit them for the
builders use? Who is the builder? Is it us? Is it the GAU? Indeed, the
Builder is the GAU! We all need our rough corners, our vices and
superfluities, broken off to fit better for His use. Even as Master Masons,
we must work hard to fit our minds, for it is the mind which turns our lives
into living stones fit for the Builders use when we live them according to
the tenets of the Craft.
Let's reflect upon this even further. We understand that our minds guide our
lives towards becoming "living stones;" lives which when lived according to
the lessons presented in our three Degrees will hopefully be deserving of a
place in that spiritual building, that house not made with hands, eternal in
the heavens. For this to happen, the common gavel must be used for the more
noble and glorious purpose of divesting our hearts and consciences of all
the vices and superfluities of life. Then our minds can become "living
stones" hopefully worthy of the joy of the Lord or immortality. This is why
we are Masons - Living Stone Masons.
To understand, we must look more closely at the meaning of the word mind as
our Fathers intended it to be used in our Standard Work. A mind can be what
you think, as in to speak or change your mind. It can be what the
philosopher tells us, our spirit, or what the psychologist tells us, our
total conscious state. In my opinion, it is this last concept our fathers
had in mind when they encouraged us to prepare our minds as "living stones."
They were thinking Masonically of our minds as our entire beings, and they
wanted us to understand that only when we used the common gavel to fit them
as "living stones" would we hopefully achieve immortality.
In the Historical Lecture, there is another memorable reference to the word
stone, but this time it is called an Ashlar. A Lodge has six jewels, three
movable and three immovable. Among the movable are the Rough Ashlar and the
Perfect Ashlar. At this point, if the Entered Apprentice has been listening
carefully, his eyes should be drawn to the East where the Rough and Perfect
Ashlars are displayed. He hears that the Rough Ashlar is a stone in its rude
and natural state as taken from the quarry; just as men are Rough Ashlars in
their rude and natural state before they become Perfect Ashlars. If he is
paying attention, it should dawn on him that he is a Rough Ashlar in its
rude and imperfect state and that there is a long road ahead before he
becomes a Perfect Ashlar.
His attention should next be drawn to the difference between the Rough and
Perfect Ashlars. "The Perfect Ashlar is one prepared by the workman to be
adjusted by the working tools of Fellowcraft." These words should bring to
mind the description he heard earlier of the common gavel "which is an
instrument used by Operative Masons to break off the corners of rough
stones, the better to fit them for the Builder's use." What is the Builder's
use? It is "that state of perfection at which we hope to arrive by
education, our own endeavors and the blessing of Deity." The Entered
Apprentice has now been given specific instructions on how to travel that
long road towards becoming a Perfect Ashlar. This is Masonry's great
strength. When we understand, we never flounder. There are always
instructions. There is always the Brotherhood.
At the conclusion of his First Degree the Entered Apprentice must understand
that the state of perfection at which we all hope to arrive is Immortality.
He must understand that this is achieved by education, his own endeavors and
the blessing of Deity. He must understand that education means learning
about Freemasonry, studying its tenets and figuring out how best to apply
them to his own life. He must understand that he achieves immortality by
constantly endeavoring to divest his heart and conscience of all their vices
and superfluities so that his mind will be fitted as a living stone for that
spiritual building, that house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens,
"so that in age, as a Master Mason, he may enjoy the happy reflection
consequent upon a well-spent life and die in the hope of a glorious
immortality." This is Masonry's purpose.
We are about to come full Masonic circle. The Entered Apprentice now
understands that he becomes a Perfect Ashlar by education, his own endeavors
and finally the concept which to the reflective Mason should tie all its
lessons together thus closing the circle - by the blessing of Deity. What is
the blessing of Deity? "May it be your portion to hear from Him who siteth
as the Judge Supreme, the welcome words, 'well done, good and faithful
servant, enter thou into the Joy of thy Lord.'" The blessing of Deity is the
joy of the Lord which is attained by living every moment of your life as a
Perfect Ashlar, as a Living Stone Mason.
Master Masons who allow their lives to be guided by the tenets of the Craft
are Living Stone Masons whose hope it is to arrive at that spiritual
building, that house not made with hands, eternal in the Heavens. This goal
is achieved when they use the common gavel to divest their hearts and
consciences of all their vices and superfluities - an understanding so
simple and yet so profound. My brothers, I have always believed the lessons
of our Masonic Degrees are infinite and only begin to reveal themselves upon
constant repetition. This is why it is so vitally important that we
participate to achieve Masonic understanding - further Light in Masonry.
The word stone means one thing to those out there, stone mason, and another
to those of us in here, Living Stone Mason. To us it is a reminder of all
that is necessary to achieve the hope of a glorious immortality and that the
word hope is used specifically in our Standard Work because the Fraternity
makes no guarantees. All we can do is endeavor to live our lives as Living
Stone Masons.
My brothers, the remarkable phrase "living stones" has a still greater
meaning. The tenets of Freemasonry, each and every one, are themselves
"living stones" which fit together perfectly and when properly reflected
upon and understood will, like the Initial shinning brightly in the East,
guide us all towards the hope of a glorious immortality and joy of the Lord.

Thank you so very much.