The following was presented January 14, 2025, by Education Officer Tom Lewis.
Home and Acacia
- William R. Fischer, Masonic Short Talks
The Lodge where you are a member is your home lodge. This should be the most familiar of all places for the relief of the day to day stress that one faces in the world.
The attendance and participation of each member shows the new and uninformed member how important it is to be a faithful and worthy Brother. To be faithful, you must attend, and to be worthy, you must practice what you have learned in the lodge. The burden of teaching is on every member, and not the sole duty of the Lodge Education Officer. To learn the history of the lodge, so you can pass it on to visiting Brothers, is not only a matter of pride but one of honor. If you encourage a visiting Brother to tell you of the history of his lodge, you will give him a chance to make a connection with all the Brothers of both lodges. As you want to know them, they want to know you. Practicing what you learn in the lodge is important. Through the practice of the principles of Masonry you become a better person. You also show the world that masonry works for the good of all and not just for its members.
When you visit another lodge, the usual questions are: What Lodge are you from? How old is your lodge? Who is the Worshipful Master? How many members attend a meeting? How many members do you have? When do you meet? Do you do much work? Answer these questions, and then let them know, with dignity, how your lodge is moving forward. While you visit other lodges be a frequent attender to your own, because, “you must know home to be a traveler.”
The Acacia tree is found in the aria known as Palestine during ancient times, today it is found all over Africa. Acacia looks like the mulberry tree, can grow to well over one hundred feet high and is a hard wood. The gum obtained from it is known as Arabic.Acacia is a sacred Hebrew wood known in the scripture as “Shittah.”
The ark of the covenant was made from it. Acacia is part of our initiation as Master Masons and represents the immortality of the soul, as the soul lives on after our bodies have been put to rest. Acacia can be a bush, tree, or a grove of trees. If you cut it down it grows back, if you burn it, it grows back. If you try to dig it up and leave one root it will grow back. Acacia can live through floods, droughts, and bad soil conditions. There is little doubt to the reason Acacia is our symbol of immortality
