ALGDGADU

SFU

First grade layout

Title: Charity and its Masonic interpretation
H  A  Carlos A. Davalos Chacon
Read July 23, 2020 e  v 

QQ  HH  Today I have the duty to address you to comment in the most fraternal
way on the importance of charity in the life of the Freemason. Charity should be a
distinctive quality of Masons. Likewise, Freemasonry aims to make man, not only a free
and cultured being, but a useful element for society.

But what exactly does charity mean in our lives? Let's review it to understand it better.

To begin to share with you QQ  HH  what charity is, I will begin by saying that
charity in general is “The virtue of loving one's neighbor even over oneself.”, “it is acting
selflessly, in favor of one's neighbor without expecting anything.” In return".

He who has mercy on the poor lends to the LORD, and He will reward him for his good work.
(Proverbs 19:17)

The QQ  HH  initiation ritual tells us:

G  T  I  Who do you have there?

G  T  E  It is Mr. ………………………. poor candidate in a state of darkness,
who has been well and worthily recommended, regularly proposed and
approved in an open Lodge, now comes, of his own free will, duly
prepared to humbly request to be initiated into the Mysteries and
Privileges of Freemasonry.

While we are familiar with these words, this plank is intended to remind us QQ  HH
 of the precarious condition in which we have all been presented and received. In
absolute poverty, stripped of metals and values acquired in the profane world,
demonstrating destitution and orphanhood; with the oo  vv  and an s  with an n 
around the c  we have presented ourselves of our own free will to humbly request to
be initiated into the Mysteries and Privileges of Ancient Freemasonry. We must
remember that the Cer  of Inic  has the virtue of introducing us to a higher spiritual
state, after taking the solemn oath of fidelity that will accompany us until the last
moment of our existence.

One of the most appreciated moments of the Cer  of Inic  is the one in which the
call to La Caridad is made and the V  M  tells us:
V  M  I am going to make an appeal to you in the name of that virtue that is
considered the distinctive character of the Mason, I am referring to
Charity. I do not need to expand on its merits, since I do not doubt that
you have felt and practiced it often. It will be enough for me, then, to tell
you that Charity and Mercy, their sister, have the approval of Heaven and
Earth and that both bless both the one who gives and the one who
receives. Now, within a society as extensive as Freemasonry, whose
branches extend throughout the entire surface of the inhabited globe,
there are undoubtedly many HH  of rank and opulence, but it is also
true that among the thousands of men who recognize the banner of our
Order as theirs, there are some who, due to inevitable circumstances of
calamity and misfortune, are reduced to the state of the most frightful
misery and the deepest despair. In favor of these unfortunate HH  , it is
an ancient custom among us to awaken the feelings of every newly
initiated person, demanding from their charity what circumstances allow
them to have. Any amount that you are willing to spend for this purpose,
deliver it to H  2º. Diac  that she will be, I assure you, received with
gratitude and faithfully invested.
2nd. Diac  Do you have something to give to the Sac  de Caridad?
Start  I have nothing.
2nd. Diac  Have you been deprived of your valuables and metals upon
entering the Lodge?
Start  Yeah.
2nd. Diac  If it hadn't been like that, would you contribute something?
Start  Yeah.
2nd. Diac  (Addressing V  M  ) V  M  , our newly initiated H 
affirms that upon entering the Lodge he was stripped of all his values and
metals and that if this had not been the case, he would gladly contribute.

Then the V  M  explains to us the reasons that motivate this painful test, an
apparently embarrassing situation for us in the initiation, but which is a profound lesson
for us.
V  M  I congratulate you for the honorable feelings that animate you and I
congratulate myself on the impossibility in which you have to put them
into practice; Well, I assure you that this test has not been intended to
mortify you in your generous inclinations. We have subjected you to it for
three essential reasons: First to assess the sincerity of your principles;
secondly to make it clear to all the HH  that you do not have any money
or metallic substance with you, because if you did, it would be necessary
to begin your initiation ceremony again; and third, as a warning to your
heart, so that, if in the future you find some H  in disgrace and he
 appeals for your assistance, you will remember the critical moments of
your initiation, in which you found yourself poor and deprived of clothing
and money and joyfully take advantage of that opportunity to put into
practice the virtue of whose strong roots in your hearts you have given us
beautiful proof at this moment.

This is how we find the meaning and understand the importance of charity at the time
of our initiation. We also find reference to this virtue in the First Degree drawing board.

Jacob's ladder
First Grade Tracing Board

Jacob's ladder is the emblem of the virtues and spiritual qualities of the soul, the steps
correspond to the progress or progressive elevation of man in successive states of
consciousness, from the material to the divine. The steps are different virtues, the three
main ones being: Faith, Hope and Charity. This ladder that reaches Heaven by relying
on the V  L  S  , teaches us to believe in Divine Providence that strengthens our
faith by helping us take the first steps.

In times of war, catastrophes, pandemics, there is no shortage of examples of acts of

heroism where the overflowing dedication and generosity of a Freemason is evident.
These examples of H  H  encourage and motivate us, arouse our admiration and

recognition, they show us the greatness of which man is capable. The V  L  S 

tells us that:
 “ No one has a greater love than the one who gives his life for his friends.”
(John 15, 13).

No one would be able to freely give their life for others if they are not moved by being a
believer in G  A  D  U  , no one gives their life for others without faith and hope
that what is being done and sacrificed is only for do greater good.

In these difficult times that humanity faces due to the coronavirus pandemic, there are
people who bring out the best in themselves, H  H  of our order who do charity
every day, exposing their lives to the risk of contagion of a virus, or any other situation,
their moral and spiritual greatness are motivated only by compassion. (which is a form
of action of the G  A  D  U  in us)

QQ  HH  preparing this layout and presenting it to you, helped me understand why

our H  H  and their families (doctors, police, military, etc.) continue in the fight, in
addition to learning to value the time we spend in the lodge . Let's also take advantage
of these days to get closer to God and our families. God tests us today more than ever
so that we develop the virtue of charity in our lives, in our workshop we have HH 
who are a true example, I hope we can continue learning from them and we can apply
them in society especially in our families

V  M  I have fulfilled

Mason Apprentice Manual – Aldo Lavagnini

Ritual of first degree apprentice Mason