Sunday Wisdom

From One Mountain, Many Paths
An American Freemason Speaks Out for Peace

by Dr. Patrick Swift
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This week we find:

It is written: "From all your sins before the Lord shall ye be clean." This is our tradition. The sin towards God, the Day of Atonement atones for; but sins toward man, the Day of Atonement cannot atone for till the neighbor has been appeased.

The Babylonian Talmud, Yomah
Judaism

When you are offering your gift at the altar, if you remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go, first be reconciled to your brother or sister, and then come and offer your gift.

Matthew 3:23-24
Christianity

Can we have Atonement (At-one-ment) with God and be at odds with our fellows? And what if our brother or sister will not be reconciled with us? I know that I have said or done things that are not my highest nature. I have regretted things I have said or done that have hurt others. Sometimes I have apologized and other times I have just felt guilty - either way I regret the way I behaved. There have been people who behaved very badly towards me. I have felt rejection all my life. Real or imagined on my part it still hurts.

I have accepted apologies and gone on from there but I have always said (to myself) that a real apology is changed action. I seldom give individuals a second chance to hurt me. One time I did and the hurt is such that it is still there. I probably will never be really reconciled with those individuals. Does that mean that I can never be reconciled with God? I DON"T THINK SO. I don't think it is in God's design for any of His children to be separated from him. AT ONE MENT. It is a wonderful concept and I can feel it in various ways.

All of this has reminded me of the Rev. Joseph Fort Newton's answer to the question:

When is a Man a Mason?

By Rev. Joseph Fort Newton

When he can look out over the rivers, the hills, and the far horizon with a profound sense of his own littleness in the vast scheme of things, and yet have faith, hope, and courage-which is the root of every virtue.

When he knows that down in his heart every man is as noble, as vile, as divine, as diabolic, and as lonely as himself, and seeks to know, to forgive, and to love his fellowman.

When he knows how to sympathize with men in their sorrows, yea, even in their sins-knowing that each man fights a hard fight against many odds.

When he has learned how to make friends and to keep them, and above all how to keep friends with himself.

When he loves flowers, can hunt birds without a gun, and feels the thrill of an old forgotten joy when he hears the laugh of a little child.

When he can be happy and high-minded amid the meaner drudgeries of life.

When star-crowned trees and the glint of sunlight on flowing waters subdue him like the thought of one much loved and long dead.

When no voice of distress reaches his ears i vain, and no hand seeks his aid without response.

When he finds good in every faith that helps any man to lay hold of divine things and sees majestic meanings in life, whatever the name of that faith may be.

When he can look into a wayside puddle and see something beyond mud, and into the face of the most forlorn fellow mortal and see something beyond sin.

When he knows how to pray, how to love, how to hope.

When he has kept faith with himself, with his fellowman, and with his God; in his hands a sword for evil, in his heart a bit of a song-glad to live, but not afraid to die!

Such a man has found the only real secret of Masonry, and the one which it is trying to give to all the world.

The bold is mine. I think it all helps answer my question.

This is the season of Lent. A lot of people are giving up things. Some give up chocolate (perish the thought) and others give up something else. I have never been from a tradition that "gives up" something to prove my faith. I guess that giving up something material is not the route I want to go. So to that end I am going to try (try I say because I probably won't get it accomplished) to give up the grudges I hold because someone has hurt me or "cast me out" of their life or has said something to me that cut me. I am not going to go to them or try to get them to reconcile (been there, done that) I am just going to try to think of them the way God thinks of all of us - with Love. It is probably a little late to start thinking about it because Lent started last Wednesday. But then I have always been a little behind and I would not have even thought of it if it weren't for a conversation at lunch yesterday.

Have a blessed peaceful week and remember to Love. Hugs, j