You gave me the gavel

Title

Creator

Buenafe, Ricardo

Language

English

Source

The Cabletow Volume III (New Series No. 4) April 1961

Year

1961

Subject

Masonry

Rights

In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted

Fulltext

You Gave Me the Gavel WB RICARDO BUENAFE, MASTER Pinagsabitan Lodge -26, Santa Cruz, Laguna You have conlericd upon me to night the highest position within your power to give — that of the Oriental Chair during this Masonic year. This benevolent gesture on your part is a manifestation of your trust and con fidence in me which I will cherish and remember as long as I live. In all humility and gratitude, I accept the honor and privilege of being your Worship! ul Master. 1 am aware ol the multifarious and heavy respon sibilities that now rest upon my shoulders. I may not be equal io this heavy, but important task in view of itiv physical and intellec tual limitations: however, 1 will consider the position as a challenge and in order that I mav be able to acquit myself creditably in the performance of what is expec ted of me, I will al ways bear in mind the following doc‘'Let no man take wages or lees for a job that he cannot do, or cannot with probability under take: or in some sense profita bly, and with ease, or with ad vantage manage. Let no man appropriate to his own use. what God, bv a special incrcv, or the Republic hath made com mon: for that is against Justice and Charily.” As I look at your faces tonight. I can discern that they still reflect the spirit of the Yuletide season. This emboldens me then to discourse on some unrestricted aspects of Mason ry which 1 hope would find fertile fields and the seeds of which will lodge in the hearts of many of our non-member guests who sympathize with our cause. As Masons, we love God and be lieve in Him. Bclore going into any important undertaking, we seek Divine guidance and help. The Ma son believes and so holds that “no man has any right in any way to interfere with the religious belief of another. Each man is absolutely sov ereign as to his own belief, tho that belief is absolutely foreign to all who do not entertain the same belief: and that, if there were any right of persecution at all, it would iti all cases be a mutual light; because one party has the same right as the other to sit as judge in his own case; and God is the only magistrate that can rightfully decide between them. To' that great Judge, Masonry re fers the matter; and opening wide its portals, it invites to enter there and live in peace and harmony, the Protestant, the Catholic, the Jew, the Moslem. We love our country; we have pride in our state; we love our homes. These are forces of immense power which we encourage our brethren to 103 possess and practise and insist them upon those in the public service. Masonry is not interested in par tisan politics. As a matter of fact the discussion of the matter is pro hibited in our lodge meetings. Yet despite this inhibition that we must and should uphold, we as inevitable part anti parcel of society, which is the ultimate and the very govern ment itself, must be liawn to elect a government that is conducted with the highest degree of efficiency and honesty. However, in this considera tion allow me to clarify that our fra ternal organization is not peculiar in the election of a particular can didate of a political partv, so long as those elected to take hold of the rein of government arc the best qualified, honest and have the wel fare of the peonle at heart. To this extent we arc duty-bound. As the river flowing through a busy ci tv or town mav be polluted thus making its waler undrinkable and unfit for domestic consumption, so may our government be saddled with irregularities and venalities committed bv certain public officials, thereby causing the people to lose faith and confidence in it. Yet, no matter how polluted the river may become, the source at its fountain head is cool and crystal clear. Des pite the shortcomings, errors and omissions willfully or unwittingly committed by certain public servants, our form of government is still among the best in the world today. We should zealously guard our gov ernment against all evils, especially the inroads of the communist ideol ogy', if we want to preserve our de mocratic way of life. It is therefore incumbent upon us to elect the best men for by them and through them the democratic way of rfe which we now enjoy will be enhanced. Ma sonry thrives best in a democracy but seldom if ever in a dictatorship. Masonry works not for reward or aggrandisement for it believes that the highest contributions to lile are I hose obscurely given without bene fit of honorific rewards, newspaper space or monetary considerations. Many among our brethren trudge the lowly paths of service the better to render little things that mean a lot to the poor, the distressed or the oppressed. We cannot all achieve fame, but we can all help in doing things no matter how insignilicant. that will cause progress in anv given endeavor. So, whether our stations be exalted and our responsibilities heavy; or, whether our stations be humble and our responsibilities light, let us think, give, do and follow the best in us. If only our traditional Filipino custom “bayanihan" can be exploited to the fullest extent, more and bigger things could be easily achieved. Brethren, as Captain of the ship of state of our fraternity, it is my intention to follow the course char tered by my distinguished predeces sors. Our Pinagsabitan Ixxlge No. 2(> of F & A M, under the jurisdiction of the Most Worshipful Grand Lodge of the Philippines, has, for many years, retained the distinction of be ing one of the foremost blue lodges in Southern Luzon and, undoubtedly, you share with me the desire not only to maintain and preserve the honor and prestige accredited to our Lodge but also to do better. I, there fore, Masonically appeal to all my brethren of Pinagsabitan Lodge No. 104 THE CABLE TOW April, 1961 26 to give me their wholehearted support and unstinted cooperation. Wnat I ask from you is not much and is within your easy reach to give. I. et us all attend our regular monthly stated meetings, conferrals, yearly conventions, and other activities of the Lodge. By improving our Lodge attendance with regularity and punctualitv. there would be more intima<v and fellowship among brethren, brotherly love and affection would be more firmly cemented, and ulti mately. we would be more closely knitted in working together Masonically for loftier heights and great er achievements. In conclusion. I do hope that our distinguished guests and brethren in the East will find their brief sojourn to our humble province a pleasant one. I reiterate mv profound grati tude t<> mv brethren lor giving me the opportunitv to serve our Pinag sabitan Lodge No. 26 in an exalted capacity as VVorshiplul Master. I convex to all of ton belated but heartfelt greetings of the season and may you leave this hall contented, hapoy. and imbued with the spirit of the brotherhood of man under the Fatherhood of God. ACACIA MUTUAL AID SOCIETY. INC. Statement of Investments Deposits Direst,nods in Stocks X Hands: 7'7 San Miguel Brewery Pref................................. T> 10,150.00 4r7 Philippne Government Bonds ....................... 13,000.00 50 Shares. Phil. BankingCorp.............................. 5,000.00 Loans on Real Estate ... P 500.00 PROCLAMATION OF MASONIC HEROES OF ILOCOS SUR Bv virtue of the Resolutions of the Vigan Lodge No. 63, Free and Ac cepted Masons. 1 hereby proclaim the following deceased Masons of Jlocos Stir as heroes and patriots for their huinaritarian achievements, in the Masonic World, namely: 1. Ex-Governor Alejandro Quirolgico — of Gaoayan, I. Sur 2. Dr. Paulo Claro Palencia — of Burgos, I locos Norte 3. Ex-Major LJrbano Crisologo Bane/ — of Bangued, Abra 4. Atty. Severino D. Dagdag, Sr. — of Bantay, I. Snr 5. Ex-Mayor Macario Tolentino— of Magsingal, 1. Sur 6. Dr. Gornclio Dato Julian — of Sta. Maria, Ilocos Sur At Vigan. Ilocos Sur. this 30th day of December. 1960. (Sgd.) Graciano P. Pada, P.M. Secretary Hank Deposits: Savings Acct., Phil. Nat. Bank ................. V 1.144.66 Sdvings Acct., Phi). Banking Corp............ 4.121.36 Current Acct.. Phil. Nat. Bank ................. 1.628.34 TOTAL INVESTMENTS AND BANK DEPOSITS .. T 35.544.36 The foregoing report was sent to us by the secretary of the Society, WB. Araniego. We congratulate the society, small and young as it is, for the effi ciency and honesty in which its affairs are conducted. It is planning to dis tribute dividends to its members in the future. 105

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