From the South – April 2020

When you have nothing to report, a good story/joke is always proper:

A candidate once asked in an interview, “I don’t understand all of these symbols you use. Can you explain them?” The Brother who was interviewing said, “one day when you’re a Mason, you’ll understand.”

Then, once he’d been through the first degree, he asked the Senior Deacon, “I still don’t fully understand these symbols, can you explain their meanings?” The Senior Deacon said, “one day when you’re a Master Mason, you’ll understand.”

Then, once he was a Master Mason, he asked the Worshipful Master, “I still think that there’s more to these symbols than what I heard tonight, can you explain?” The Worshipful Master looked at this young Mason with pride and said, “one day you will be Master of this Lodge, and then it will make sense.”

Then, once he was master of the Lodge he still felt he didn’t understand fully. He went to the Grand Master and asked, “what is the true meaning of the symbols of our order?” The Grand Master re- assessed this wise Mason and said, “one day, you will be Grand Master, and then you will gain further understanding.”

Then, once he was Grand Master he continued to feel uncertain. He went to the Grand Chaplain and asked, “I think these symbols that we use have a deeper meaning, can you tell me what it is?” The Chaplain appraised his Grand Master and said, “one day you will die and then all will become clear.”

Then, once the Grand Master had died, he went to heaven. Once there, he went directly to God and asked, “God, I feel as if the symbolism of Freemasonry always had some deeper meaning, can you tell me what it is?”

God looked at him with a puzzled expression and said, “you know this was just a joke, right?”

WB James Van Anda