THE TIE THAT BINDS

    Freemasons regard with awe the strength and quality of that bond which
unites them.  They are aware of it; they sense it; they rejoice in it.  It
is difficult to analyze or define.  Perhaps it would be wise not to attempt
a definition, but only to make some comparisons.

    There are many bonds or ties between men which we can readily recognize. Servicemen acknowledge the bond of comradeship engendered by the need to rely on each other's loyalty in order to survive in battle.  Add to that another ingredient, the common bond of having survived, each knowing that the other understands.

    Entirely different is the bond between mother and child. It is the most
widely known and felt as it affects virtually every human being.  Though we freely acknowledge that the tie that binds Freemasonry together is 'not'
exactly the same, there are similarities worth noting.  When a child is born
it is an act of creation.  The bond between a child and its mother is
essentially the bond between a creature and his creator.  A child is born
into that unbreakable relationship of absolute trust.  Though there be
several children the bond is the same with all.

    In Freemasonry we are 'not' born into the Masonic family.  We petition
to be admitted, and we voluntarily accept the status of one family under the Fatherhood of God.  We recognize Him as the Creator.  We pledge ourselves to live according to His Will and Word.  We accept the duties we owe to Him, to our neighbor, and to ourselves.  We strive to build our inner temple according to His design; base every decision on what we really believe He would approve; and by having our conscience judge us by what He has revealed to us as right.

    In every family there are differences of opinion and action by the
individual members, (sometimes very noticeable), but that can not change the fact that they are children of the same mother.  Likewise, despite all the differences, religious or otherwise, between Masons as individuals, we
remain children of the same Creator, the same Supreme Being, tied to Him by that unbreakable bond.

   Freemasonry, teaches us how to rise above all the man-made barriers that divide mankind.  It makes us all brothers of the same family, united in the same bond of trust in the Supreme Being, in the teachings of our noble
Craft, in having taken the same obligations and pledges, and in our
commitment to assist each other to honour them.  But above all, it teaches
us to submit to the Will of the Almighty.  Therefore, the bond between
Masons is not built on the uncertain foundations of the will and desires of
men, but on the contrary, is built on the firm foundation of Faith in the
Supreme Being.

    It matters not that we can not adequately define the "tie that binds"
Masons together.  Let us rejoice in the fact that it does exist, and that we
are fortunate enough to experience it.


By M.W.Bro. G.K.Haldorson; Grand Master's Message;
Published in THE TRACING BOARD; February, 1983.