At the Ritual Work, which the Honorable Lodge “Light of the Balkans” held on Oct. 18th 2019, our prominent Brother, long-time Freemason, Master of the Royal Art, V.R. he read his Instruction “A Free Man of Good Reputation”. Instruction of Brother V.R. was one of the items on the agenda of Work at the First Degree, which was mostly devoted to the training of students. Instruction of Brother V.R. reminds the Brethren of the qualities that a candidate who knocks on the door of the Brotherhood should have and the path he should follow during his Freemasonic search for Truth and Light.
Instruction of Brother V.R. it was transmitted in its entirety.
A FREE MAN IN GOOD REPUTATION
Is the Consecration of the Profane, by Initiation according to the Scottish Rite Ancient and Accepted, an important event in the life of the Candidate?
It should, but it depends a lot on his future acceptance, understanding and orientation in the Brotherhood and among the Brothers. The initiated Brother Mason comes to the Fraternity as a free, accomplished, honorable and successful individual. So what can he expect in the Brotherhood?
The Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite has its own standard flow and for those who do not follow it closely it can be stereotypical and even boring. The Old Rules are strict and immutable, which Freemasons are bound to obey unconditionally. Aren’t the Scottish Rite and the Old Rules, factors that deny the Brothers or, to put it mildly, limit the Freedom that they proudly brought into the Brotherhood? Of course not! The content of the Ritual is applicable in all times and for all times, with unique symbolism, strong messages and philosophical instructions. The age-old immutability of the Old Rules can never, under any conditions, be changed or justified by the aspiration that people, in their innovation and desire to adapt to the current times, are ready to change many things and all kinds of things unnecessarily.
At the end of the Consecration, the Brother takes the Oath to the Brotherhood, which the Brothers accept with pleasure, because it is given by a FREE MAN OF GOOD REPUTATION, but also to his Guarantor, who, with his Freemasonic name and seniority, guaranteed before the Brothers that he brought an honorable man into the Brotherhood. Of course, in the not-so-distant past, we witnessed the Brethren, without the slightest remorse, trampling on their given Word and betraying, first of all, their Guarantor, and then the Fraternity, which accepted him unreservedly and with much love. A frequent explanation is that he leaves the Brotherhood for another Brotherhood “because he didn’t find himself in this one”. Such decisions are made exclusively by those who expect undeserved Promotions or some other honors that they usually do not even know what they mean, much less the obligations that arise from them. Betrayal, in my opinion, is the RIGHT WORD, because he who does not know how to respect his Oath, will never be able to search with Truth and Light.
Many of us had the honor, including me, of living in the time when a “living saint” walked this earth, our late Patriarch Paul, who said:
“We are all humans, but one should be a human.”
Simple and powerful.
Is it really that simple to be HUMAN? At least several hundred books can be written about it. We can read all the written and unwritten books, which cannot be a guarantee that we will be better because of it. Everything points to us that, if we learn and Work on ourselves, we can slowly and painstakingly pave the way to knowledge. The path to Light and Truth is long and usually lasts a lifetime. It will not be difficult for a Freemason to accept the fact that he must Study until he leaves for the Eternal East.
A Brother who thinks that he has Mastered all the Freemasonic Secrets and is on the way to find the Lost Word, will have to demand that he must start from the beginning in the discovery of Himself. The Supreme Creator of All Worlds opened the door to the path that leads to the Light only for Freemasons. There is one road at the beginning and then, like the crown of a tree, it branches into countless roads. Only the consistent and those who deserve it by their actions manage to travel far. If they devotedly and carefully follow and recognize the Finger of the Supreme Creator of All Worlds, then He unselfishly illuminates the direction they follow.
“White Freemason” or Free Man of good reputation, according to his Guarantor in profane life, unknowingly lived according to some Freemasonic postulates. The Guarantor is the one who “recognized” him as a potential Freemason and suggested him as a Candidate. By coming to the Brotherhood, a new Brother, primarily from his Guarantor and therefore from all the Brothers, receives the knowledge they have and what is much more significant, the immeasurable Brotherly love. I will not be mistaken if I assert that a sign of equality can be placed between the personal Freedom of the new Brother and the Brotherly Love he receives from the Brotherhood. The new Brother must be aware that he takes on a huge responsibility to justify the trust shown and follow the Path that has been assigned to them with the rest of the Brothers.
The freedom that the New Brother brought, as his pledge to the Brotherhood, will not be hindered or limited by anyone in any way, but it is the duty of every Brother to enable him to develop it and perfect it in everything.
Of course, just like in profane life, problems or mistakes can happen in the Brotherhood, which must be solved and corrected immediately. Agreements on many problems in profane life often end in unpleasant and inappropriate scenes. In the Fraternity, they must be resolved through open Fraternal discussion and the search for just outcomes that must not, under any circumstances, go beyond the scope of Fraternal Love.
Every Free man of good repute, who joins the Brotherhood, is an invaluable asset and strength that strengthens the Fraternal Chain.
My Brothers, let us respect each other and sincerely and selflessly spread true Brotherly Love.
I said.