The revolt of conscience

Title

Creator

Gatmaitan, Jose S.

Language

English

Year

1964

Rights

In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted

Fulltext

The Revolt of Conscience By JOSE S. GATMAITAN Malolos Lodge No. 46, F. & A. M. Hom ihe cultuial legacy of the ancient past, man has now perfected the hydrogen bombs with which he can destroy the world — and will destroy it, unless the power to do so is taken from him. There ate critics who say that mankind is not spiritually ready for such destine tion. Suc h a revelation is true lot man has not, and will never. attain the slate of perfection and, the- hvdrogen bombs will not wait for us to perfect human nature. The epic <>l man has always been that they tail with their rise. Their littleness and lack of courage alwavs hasten their doom to disrepute and obsuiritv. In out midst, we have main sue It good men. Their reputation is well deserved but they are too proud ol their goodness. They come up in the horizon every morning and sink into nothingness at eventide. Their successes only make them fall mote disgraceful. Why? Nobods knows. We have learned in out ritual the role played by the 'Celebrated Ait ist,” the parable of which is more than the enigma <»f circumstance. Horn and bred in a period of violent revolution — philosophic, political and cultural — he had risen and fallen, in the course ol his tra vel in his quest lor light through the long and narrow toad beset with dangers; risen and fallen, like the ceases of the sea: but always he had managed to rise.- with every fall, and even higher in the esteem ol his own brothers who caused his plight until his symbolical death, ever keeping the trust reposed in him to the end. He has always been an enigma — yes — even to those who followed with the blindness of faith. There had been unkind remarks against him and threats to his life but he was not disturbed by such language and no power on earth, it seems, could make him disregard from the principles to which he adhered for the dead, the absent, innocent, and those who trust him, no mason will willingly deceive. 'I'hat man, tile mason, has always been thus. Anywhere, in public set cice or otherwise, he has always done to the best of his ability and in the light of what he thought best; and has remained serene and unperturbed by the abuses heaped upon him by his enemies and the well-intentioned unkindness ol friends. He has learned to adjust himself to cir (innstanccs and can follow that course which best suits the situation without sac i ilicing his principles that his conscience is always at peace, with the conviction that he has given his best, indeed, his all — to the service of God. Such is his real worth as he abbots grandstand play when prudence so dictates it — although lie may now be an old man who had endured many winters of the climate and of the heart. February 1964 269 In vibrant note, that is life; and life, which cannot slay, is not slain; for in life, there is conscience. What resentment, anger, and frustration have turned so many men — patriotic, mature and responsible, into — desperados? Is it too much suffering and too much glamor; a past too romantic, too vividly present in our memories with its splendors and victories? There is no law that limits the returns that should be reaped from a single good deed. Somehow we should manage to live up to the greatness of the past that by being benevolent and having magnificent thoughts and noble words the true image of yourself is known unlike that of the politicians whose true image cannot be lined because of their many shooting lies. The revolt of conscience — it is an old story which brings to our mind, the years of bravery, despair and frustration. Every mason knows of the tragedy (I shall repeat) of one which began at the south Gate of the Temple who, on being left alone in his memorable travel fought bravely but only to die in his attempt; and "the itiflians" responsible for that ugly, silent and bitter affair, although ordered punished, had repented, and unburdened their souls which revolted in their conscience. Throughout history, the behaviour of war criminals Hedeki Tojo, Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini was that, after their godless empires had crumbled, and because of their guilty conscience, had tried to commit suicide or had committed suicide before they were tried before the bar of humanity. Their splendid uniforms, their colorful paraphernalia* which represented their much vaunted power had vanished and Jost its meaning, when they realized that, deep in their conscience, their "lost cause" was already impossible to bear lor to them “there can be no legions without an empire, no centurions without Rome, and no Rome without domination." 'They all died in lain. When every thing is changing so fast in this world today, nothing is mote catastrophic than the destruction of our civilization. Let us not wait therefore lot the hydrogen bombs to explode but we must, to our very best, exert our efforts to prevent such explosions. It is better to stand up and be counted than be counted while laid in rows. Such an inevitable thing will happen for man is onlv mental and when that hap pens, there will not be tomorrow and the thousands of years of the history of mail’s life on earth will come to and encl. Our only hope is an enduring peace. The test ban recently adopted by the nuclear powers is, indeed, scry laudable for mankind. It is human kindness, decency, love that count, not prejudice and hate; for no matter what happens, we must love, not hate. Only then will our seeing eye and our attentive ears sense the greatness of the enduring words of that martyr-chrislian, Francis of Assisi: "Lord, make me an instrument of peace. Where there is hatred, Jet me sow love: where there is injury, pardon: where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope: where there is darkness, light; and where there is sadness, joy. Devine Master, grant that I mav not so much seek to be consoled as to console; to be understood as to understand; to be loved as to love; for it is in giving that we may receive; it is in pardoning that we are pardoned; and it is in dying that wc are born to eternal life.” 270 The Cabletow I( is the mail who suffers a real deprivation that an ideal is first necessity of life; for man is an idealist by nature, and only great sufferings give birth to great ideals; and never, but this time, is the Cross more symbolic of mans ultimate hope; and prayers, more timely. No one can repress the liberty of conscience. The axiom — "the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom” — has survived, up to this day, as a cult even to the infidels: and, as the salvation or damnation of the soul depends, in the last resort, upon His judgment, man must live in the right direction — towards God — with the burdens and confusions of his own history. A A A Questions and Answers By A. LEYNES CORCUERA If you hove iny queition on Maionry, write it down on a piece of paper and mail it to "Queilions and Antweri,*' Cabletow, 1440 San Marcelino, Manila. Your anawer QUESTION: IT«.v Hiram Abif a real, or merely a mythical, person? ANSWER: He was a real person, an artisan in metals, who was sent King Hiram of Tyre (flourished about 1000 B.C.) to King Solomon i<> work on the ornamentation of ihe Temple (1 Kings 7:13-15; 2 Chronicles 1.11 22) QUESTION: it'd Hiram Abif die in the manner known to all Master Masons? ANSWER: No; he finished lhe work he was called to do lor King Solomon’s Temple (2 Chronicles 1:11). According lo Flavius Jose pints (A.I). 27 - A.D. 95) "lie lived in lyre long afterwards.” QUESTION: Has the Bible always been a part of the farnitnre of the Lodge? ANSWER: No; it was not un'il 1700 that the (.land Lodge ol England (1717). upon motion ol william Preston (1712-1818), decreed ihat the Bible be made one of the* Great Lights (Voor—his, Facts for Masons, p. 27). QUESTION: What is meant by Ancient Craft Masonry. ANSWER: It is the name given to the three degrees of symbolic, or Blue1 Lodge Masonry — the Enter ed Appientice, lhe Fellow Cralt, •and lhe Master Mason. Sometimes lhe icim is shortened to Craft Ala .sonry. I lie term is most appropriate because it calls attention lo lhe lad that the three degrees do not belong to any particular rite, that they constitute primitive Mi semi y. CUES I ION: Jl’/cy do Masons hon oi I’ylhagoias? ANSWER: Pythagoras (c. 582 c . 507 B.C.), born at Sanios, was a icinarkable and great Greek philosopher. In the course ol his traFebruary 1964 271 .

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