CHARITY, THE LOFTIEST VIRTUE OF ALL


Of Freemasonry’s innumerable teachings, none is more profound, more poignant and yet more often overlooked and ignored than the seven-letter-word called Charity. Often substituted with the word “Love,” it teaches its initiates to give until it hurts, not to let the left hand know what the right hand is doing, and not to expect anything in return.

The Craft’s admonition on the first three degrees teaches: “the three principal rounds are denominated by Faith, Hope and Charity; which admonishes us to have Faith in God, Hope for immortality, and Charity for all mankind.”

And adds; “the greatest of these is Charity, for our Faith may be lost in sight, Hope ends in fruition, but Charity extends beyond the grave, through the boundless realms of eternity.”

The parambulation of the second degree is more complex, more thought provoking, and more philosophical; it is herein reprinted in full:

“Though I speak the tongue of men and of angels, and have not Charity, I am become as sounding brass or a tinkling cymbal.

And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all Faith that I could remove mountains, and have not Charity, I am nothing.

And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor and give my body to be burned, and have not Charity, it profiteeth me nothing.

Charity suffereth long and is kind; Charity envieth not; Charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up. Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; Rejoiceth not in inequity, but rejoiceth in the ruth. Beareth all things, Believeth all things, Hopeth all things, Endureth all things.

And now abideth Faith, Hope, Charity, these three, but the greatest of these is Charity.”

The eighteenth degree of the Scottish Rite, on the other hand, is more precise and straightforward in its teachings when it said: “Charity relieves the distresses of the brethren with a liberal hand, feeds the hungry, clothes the naked, supports and educates the orphan, and gives decent sepulture to the dead.”

Yes, even giving a decent burial to those who could no longer feel the warmth of a loving hand.

All too poetic and poignant words!

Sadly, however, it appears what the Craft hears nowadays is the now-half forgotten refrain from an old country song that says”

“When will we ever learn, when will we ever learn?!”

But of course many of us learned the lyrics of that song. Like parroting the Lord’s Prayer but neither forgiving nor forgetting. And what did we do to our brother who suddenly got ill and was confined to the hospital with an unpaid bill of not less than half a million bucks? What do we do when the Almoner’s sack of cloth is passed around?

But this article is not about the many of us who do not or cannot understand. This article is about one, or more precisely, about a couple who does.

It may sound a rarity but from among us is a brother who now acts a surrogate father to not one, not two, but three female babies of a twenty-one year old mother who were born out of wedlock. Our brother was philosophical about in his narration; he said he not only acquired the three heifers, he also brought home the cow!

If you think the acquisition was a spur of the moment decision, then you’ve got it all wrong. Sometime in February, his wife was approached by a bosom friend who encouraged her to adopt, or more specifically, to act as foster parents to a soon-to-be delivered triplets. The pregnant girl is a high school graduate, and out of love trusted her boyfriend all the way to bed whose commitment and concept ended right there- in bed. When the ultrasound signaled she is to deliver triplets, her boyfriend vanished as would vapor on a steaming coffee pot.

Our brother and his spouse were first reluctant to the idea. Of course the true meaning of Charity is not alien to them, you don’t own a rural bank and be insensitive to Charity. But taking under your roof and be foster parents to not one, not two, but three newborn babies just like that is a stark reality that is simply out of the blue from whatever angle one may look at it.

In the meantime the couple were pondering over the dilemma, the babies were born in April, seven months premature. Their bosom friend frantically called pressing them for a decision. The lives of the babies were being threatened by a disease common to premature births and even the administrators of the orphanage were getting desperate. Some good Samaritans are needed and their qualifications fit.

Our brother was still hesitant. How do you feed the babies, clothe them and give them decent education until they come of age? Money for food, especially on short term basis, they can spare some. But all the other needs, like clothing, shelter, and education are definitely worth more than peanuts. More importantly, who will sing them lullabies, change their diapers, run to the supermarket for the needed milk and all the urgent errands that are attendant to caring for the newborn children? Of course our brother is conversant with the use of aprons, but changing diapers, ah, ha, hah!!

Comes the end of May and they still could not decide. Then came the first week of June. A crucial decision, as in chess with the clock ticking, had to be made. Financial considerations, while admittedly hurting, can be hurdled. But to physically care for the children and provide the mother’s warmth are things they could not provide and is therefore next to impossible. But then, who was it who said that if Mohamed cannot go to the mountain, then let the mountain go to Mohamed!

The couple decided the dilemma can be resolved if the mother would also accept being taken under their wings. If one can swallow hook, line and sinker, why not include and gobble the fisherman? Ever heard of the story of Jonah being swallowed by a whale?

So they took the babies and the mother out of the orphanage and brought them straight to the hospital where the babies were diagnosed to be suffering from acute dehydration. One more day delay and two of the three babies would easily have been goners.

Our brother, as I earlier said, was philosophic. With all the three children now out of the hospital, he says he intends to let the young mother pursue college education so that even if she decides to leave her children to them, she can still earn for herself a good chance of marrying somebody more decent and more responsible than the boyfriend she previously had. Or just lead a more stable life which her present status cannot provide. Or if she would opt to stay, they can also easily find her a job in their rural bank.

When the children come of schooling age, our brother plans to send them to school and stay with their foster parents for as long as they want. Well, at least after they graduate, and later, probably marry and lead their own respective lives. He says he even plans to get them education insurance that they may be assured of continuing studies even if he is no longer around.

Pray, tell me, doesn’t our brother at least deserve a healthy pat on his back??

-end-

Note:

This article was originally published in the Far Eastern Freemason, the quarterly publication of the Supreme Council of the 33rd and Last Degree Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite Freemasonry of the Republic of the Philippines, and is herein being reprinted by the author because of its timeless relevance to the tenets of the Craft.

Despite the passing of time, however, our brother still frowns at having his name mentioned but at this writer’s insistence that it will aptly convey a priceless and cherished virtue, has graciously provided a recent picture of the angel-looking triplets, now aged three, for publication as shown above, for posterity to behold.



- posted by Kherwal @ 2:08 PM