June

1. This month of June inaugurates a new cycle in the life of our Grand Lodge and the Brethren in general. The Grand Lodge will recognize its six Grand Master and the time will come for the rejuvenation of the Craft. June is a month of exaltation as marks the beginning of summer, the most beautiful spectacle of Nature in all its radiance. The month symbolizes also a time of relax for the majority of our citizens, in a time of financial difficulties and economic restrictions. Freemasonry does not make politics but if we allow ourselves to recover the original sense of the term (Greek) it is for politikos to make its job, in the sense that we are, at the different levels of society, responsible for the fate of the polis (the city), and nobody should be divorced from that testimony of citizenship. We share what we cultivate, sound or bad.

2. June is also a time to prepare the elections for the Worshipful Masters of the Lodges and for the current ones to leave the chair. It is a healthy example of freshness that Freemasonry gives to the profane world, showing that we are not stinky to power, that being a leader is just a provisional role performed for the benefit of all. If we look at Corporations and corporate associations this is something rare to assist and exemplifies the degradation of the social tissue and the aging of our society. The Craft will rush the preparative for the Masonic meetings that will be held in Portugal at late September, an opportunity to high profile visitors from fraternal Grand Lodges to watch the reinforcing of the columns of Portuguese freemasonry and to the expansion of Lodges. We may be around 1500 members in our Craft, probably.

3. It is a time to relax and must be a time to reflect about the role Freemasonry occupies in the 21st Century. In older and larger Obediences the time arrived to open to society and unfasten the doors to the public, showing that the conspirational theories about what we do are fairytales. In some constituencies, a day is dedicated to lecture the public about the Craft, its values, its history and rich symbolism. It would be appealing, if the next Grand Master consider doing the same. It is commonly said that Freemasonry loose, somehow, its character because the values that embodied are now part of the patrimony of free and open societies guided by liberty and the rule of law. It is also said that Freemasonry should select new banners and ribbons of combat in the pursuit of happiness and perfection. Without question this is accurate and the time came to show us out. Freemasonry needs new blood and to attract the finest people around, as it did in the past.

4. In this clarification, the battleground between Regular Freemasonry and Irregular Freemasonry needs to be pacified as between Freemasonry, religions and spiritual creeds. Freemasonry respects the political alternation in society and has no intention to substitute the political parties and govern the world as our enemies like to insinuate. We don’t challenge the religious believes or look to occupy its space; we are a Brotherhood of Men, not spiritual leaders of anyone. We respect those who pursue that path but we never forget that some of most dreadful atrocities were done in the name of religion.

Freemasonry looks for a new era of Aquarius, of peace, tolerance, liberty and mutual understanding. This is our endeavor.