The Minneapolis Valley of the Scottish Rite has a tradition of "Red Room" lectures - so called because they are held in a room that is pretty much red, as you can see from the photo. I had the pleasure of addressing the assembled last night.Among other things, I mentioned lessons that I have learned from Scottish Rite Masonry, including a quote from a line I later spoke during the 26th Degree:
"We have sinned against Thee, O our Father, and have broken Thy commandments. We have forgotten mercy and practiced intolerance. We have judged our brother harshly, and condemned him unheard."
As I rehearse these lines, and when I recite them during the degree, I am reminded that no matter how hard we try, we all fall short of the mark. Masonry teaches that we receive into our ranks good men (not perfect men) and make them better.
My prayer, which frankly I should make more often than I do, is for the humility to realize I have much more to learn, and that I need to rely on the Grand Architect for His direction.
