The Case for King Solomon

Title

Creator

Gatmaitan, Jose S.

Language

English

Year

1964

Rights

In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted

Fulltext

The Case For King Solomon By JOSE S. GATMAITAN Malolos Lodge No. 46, F. & A. M. A pretender once remarked that there is no such thing as the indis pensable man except he, who has a stronger grip in the affections of his country. So he is the symbol and master architect of the era of good feeling and good times which the nation is enjoying and that his better judgment must be the plain truths and his decisions are his own, always has and always will. Such calm and balanced judgment on public morality and even treat ment of all the segment of the peo ple means peace and progress ac companied by prosperity is what thc people want and insist upon more of the good things in life during this period of stress and strain. But have we made a notable re cord of decency, competence and honesty in the conduct of our na tion’s affairs that we have brought the nation peace and prosperity? Thc answer is yours, my brothers. Only bear in mind that we are but men with “feet of clay” that even King Solomon of Israel who built the temple for the worship of God in Mount Morftih in Jerusalem was, after its completion and after his benevolence and greatness were I nown the world over as "the glolious days of Israel”, like us, a man of flesh and blood died, inspite of his wealth. But as Masons, our most homage to King Solomon, our most excellent Grand Master, not of any thing else but because of his wisdom which was narrated in the case, too trite to mention here, of a judg ment he rendered in the partition of a live child disputed by two mothers. It has been said, that “the spirit of God was in him” when King Solomon made that decision. Those were the pages of biblical times. Today, tourists said, the new Jerusalem is a small lovely town, of blocky stone houses and all its old beauty and past history are liter ally out of bounds — its ancient trails, its sacred places, the holy memoirs of the great days of Is rael — are but momentos, yet beau tiful if they are appropriated to humanity. Everything was calm in that new nation until a bomb was thrown into Jerusalim — the Eich man trial — a shameful slum of the ghetto and human stockyards at the Nazi concentration camps which re sulted in the murder of six million Jews during the last war. We ad mire their living remnants who lost everything but their lives and to them, Israel is their last refuge, a sanctuary they are willing to die for. Indeed, thousands of them have a indelible answer to what it means to be a Jew taitoed on their fore arms, as war relics and displaying the Star of David that the Nazis once forced on them to wear as a symbol of degradation. Peace has rever been the result of hatred, but of love — that is the eternal Jaw. But to all those sufferings and in 382 The Cabletow suits and the scene too terrible even for the hardest men to bear, the Eichman trial whose verdict was guilty showed the Jews and the world as well that Israel is a nation of Jewishness that demands and prac tices "justice, a proud nation among other nations. We live in age when thc eye is feasted and the ear, if .iot starved, in kept on short ra tions. With apology, let me repeat in a low tone of voice what Mr. Justice Cardezo of the U.S. Sup reme Court said to certain law grad uates in 1925: “You will study the wisdom of the past, for in a wilderness of conflicting counsels, a trail has there been blazed. You will study the life of mankind, for this is the life you must order, and, to order with wisdom, must know. You will study the pre cepts of justice, for these are thc truths that through you shall come to their hour of triumph. Here is the emprise, the fine en deavor, the splendid possibility of achievement.’’ It serves notice on the world that thc Jews whom the ancient Romans and modern Nazis failed to destroy are people, the defendants of King Solomon — from Moses to David — as written in the Old Testament and that they are an indestructible community no matter how widely they arc widely dispersed, a lie to thc dictum that a migratory race has little love of country and per manency of home is necessary to patriotism; who believe that “the links holding the Jews together are as indivisible as thc air and as strong as the heaviest of chains”. At least, they want to remain human, which is heartening, regardless of their traditions, customs and religious be lief and that a Jew is not a lonely soul lost in the wilderness and should not be subjected to criticisms for the sake of historical truth. Such is the case for King Solo mon! Being wise, he was not a blind leader of the blind and it was not strange that the ancients worshipped him, not for his laws which are right because they are his laws, but his laws because they are right. He was not a mere talker who, however liuent, is barren in the day of trial and as a distinguished Mason said — “No scepter, nor throne, nor struc ture of ages, nor broad empire, can compare with the wonders and gran deurs of his (King Solomon’s) sin gle thought". Masons abhor hypo crisy. To commit an injustice under lhe guise of equity and fairness; to shun vice in public and do it in Masonic charity but close the eyes to those in distress; to teach humil ity and act with pride; to profess chastity and violate a neighbor’s wife; to extol patriotism but afraid of being drafted; to venerate God but worship brazen idols; to be an arrogant master but a meek servant; to preach morality but maintain a harem; to advocate simple living but lice in extravagance; to admire an cling brother but admonish the un initiated; and to show that you be lieve in God but molest those of different faith arc injustices, so in famous and cruel. Let there be no wrong judgment and no church to claim infallibility in matters of faith wiliich circulate false Masonic redactons, a trade mark of her blind be lief. But if there be such, let the judgment be not tempered with mercy! Today, the stars which died mil lions of years ago are as bright and as beautiful as in their prime. Hea ven is still there, above, as in the Turn to page 392 May 1964 383 WHICH IS TO BE OBSERVED. . . (From page 388) battle with Maxentius actually ac cording to an account, in a dream ac cording to another. About the la barum was an inscription in Greek: “En toto nika“, by this conquer. Thc Latin version: “In hoc signo vinces”, by this sign you will conquer, is thc motto of the Order of thc Temple (Knights Templar) and of thc Order of the Red Cross of Constantine. Although he was not actually bap tized until he was already on his death-bed in 337, stll he exerted a great influence on the early Chris tian Church to the extent of calling the first ecumenical council, that held in Nicaea in 325, which decreed the celebration of Easter in commemora tion of the Resurrection. Constan tine wanted thc union of, not a com petition between, Christianity and sun-worship. Among the results of his influence Sunday (sun’s day), the first day of the week, sacred to thc sun-god rather than Saturday, thc seventh day as commanded (I.iviticus 23:3), has been consecrated as the LORD’S Day or Christian Sab bath. On this matter it is interesting to note what the Catholic Home En cyclopedia, appended to the Con fraternity Edition of the Bible, says (page 251): 'The observance of the first day of the week as one con secrated in a special way to Chris tian worship has no intrinsic connec tion with thc Jewish Sabbath, lhe observation of which was abrogated WHICH IS TO BE OBSERVED By the Law of Christ. It is an Ecclesias tical Institute due to thc Apostols them selves. The Church’s Law now involves the Obligation of assisting at mass and resting from service work (bodily, mannual or mechanical) on this day; over and above this, The day should be kept holy by attending other church services, spiritual readings, etc., games and re creations are a natural relaxation on this day of rest and only cease to be commendable when they interfere with deving worship and time which should be given directly to God Sunday is a weekly commemoration of the resurrec tion and is in a fast day. (Emphasis supplied) A A THE CASE FOR KING . . . (From p.ge 383) millenium of the ancients; and God is there watching and protecting us in our will to live that every beat cf our heart pulses with the love of God. Let him who could not com prehend this thought be cast away — if it be thc decree of Fate — but let him have the chance. Life is still very beautiful, as beautiful as thc era of King Solomon which was noted for a philosophy of culture and famous for the building of his temple — the Temple of Freemasonry - which architecture will, philoso phical as it may seem, pass on to the next ages. 392 The Cabletow

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