Peculiar Parallels which meet

Peculiar Parallels which meet (St. John the Evangelist and St, John the Baptist, the Saint Patrons of Freemasonry since time immemorial, whose lives are the parallel tangents touching opposite sides of the circumference of the circle also called life.)

At first glance in the Scriptures, they seem like strange people
to hold up as examples. John the Baptist's diet consisted of
wild honey and locusts. Honey certainly is appealing, but the
locust! A study of Middle Eastern customs indicate that they
could be eaten fried, boiled, dried or raw. Certainly not a
person you'd want to invite to your lodge' s next potluck.
He dressed in camel hair clothing and his hair and beard had
a wild look about it. And he didn't have a lot of tact, he told
you the truth straight to your face. He called the Pharisees a
"brood of vipers" and was fond of telling every-one to repent.
In our "politically correct" era, he would certainly not be riding
high in the polls.

St. John the Evangelist was also a different sort. He was a
rich kid (Scripture tells us that his father owned at least one
fishing boat on the Galilee and they had servants) and at the
beginning of the Gospel of John he was looking to find
himself. He first attached himself to John the Baptist until
called by Christ.
He was hot tempered, so much so that Jesus called John and
his brother James "boanerges" meaning "sons of thunder." He
lived up to that name when the villagers in a small town in
Samaria refused to welcome Jesus and the disciples, so he
asked Jesus if he (John) could rain fire and brimstone down
upon them (Luke 9:51-55). Fortunately for the village, Jesus
rebuked him.
John was also self-seeking, asking with his brother James for
thrones on the right and left of Christ when Jesus set up his
early kingdom, thus placing himself above the other disciples.
But when one goes beyond their faults, the Sts. John have
some strong qualities that every Mason should exhibit.
When looking at John the Baptist, one must look at him
through an Eastern light. John was a Nazirite from birth,
literally set aside for service to God. He let his hair and beard
grow wild, because like Sampson, he could not cut his hair,
which was forbidden by Mosaic law. His appearance brought
to mind, to the people who heard him, the stories of Elijah the
prophet who had dressed in similar manner. His clothing was
of camel hair, because that was what poor people wore. It
was plentiful when the camels shed their coats. It was cheap,
warm, and although scratchy, quite waterproof.
John taught "change of character." He pointed fearlessly to
the truth, even at the cost of his life. It was better to die for
truth than to live a lie, because he knew that the Great Light
upon the Altar, the holy scriptures, pointed to a better way, a
life with God.
St. John the Evangelist teaches us to subdue our passions,
one of the first things every Mason is taught in lodge.
When we follow the Gospels and the Book of Acts in the New
Testament, we see a major transformation of young John. He
goes from being the hot-tempered young man to one who
exhibits peace in his old age. He goes from being intolerant of
others, to working with others in sharing his theology of a
better way of life.
John is loyal. He was the only disciple to attend the trial of
Jesus as well as to be at the foot of the cross for the
crucifixion. And when he heard about the empty tomb on
Sunday morning, he was the first of the disciples to arrive.
He also took care of the widows taking Mary, the mother of
Jesus, into his home until she died.
A study of John's writings shows that he teaches truth with
love. He didn't waiver from his convictions, but he knew the
power of truth and love in a person's life.
Applying The Sts. John To Our Lives
If they form the two parallels, then a Mason traveling the
circle must touch both of the Sts. John and learn from each
of them.

He must learn to subdue his passions. Learning to subdue our passions is a lifelong process. Zeal not tempered by love becomes extremism and leads to misuse of power.
While subduing one's passions is good, a Mason must always
stand for truth. Truth, even when it is unpopular, is still better
than the alternative. Truth will always reign. Even when some
dictator tries to re-write it, the real truth will always emerge.
Like St. John the Evangelist, a Mason must help the widow
and orphan. In our lodges today, are we doing enough?
Recently, I received a call from a new widow who's husband
had unexpectedly died, and she was about to lose her house
due to the loss of income with his death. "If anything ever
happens to me, call the Masons" he would always tell her.
But she wondered what they could do. And I wondered, what
would her husband's lodge do? It's up to every Mason to look
after the widows and orphans.
Every Mason must practice brotherly love, which is the unique
characteristic of our fraternity. St. John writes about the true
meaning of brotherly love when he says: "This is how we
know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And
we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. If anyone has
material possessions and sees his brother in need, but has no
pity on him, how can the love of God be in him?" I John
3:16-17.
A Mason is called to practice charity. We must hear the cries
of a needy brother, but we must also be aware of each other
to see when we are in need. Masons must care, which we
learn from traveling the circle.
Where Parallel Lines Meet
If one travels the circle, he quickly finds that the two parallel
lines meet at the point where the circle touches upon the
Volume of Sacred Law.
In Masonry, the Bible is called the Great Light and is placed in
an open position in the center of the lodge. A brother is
admonished to open it and learn from its wisdom in all the
three degrees of Masonry.
Indeed, the Sts. John were well versed in Scripture, and held it
in high esteem. They looked with reverence to its knowledge,
because they knew the answers of life were contained within
its pages. They were not afraid to quote it, to trust it, to read
it, and to apply it to their lives.
Masons must likewise emulate the Sts. John in their
application of this Holy Light in their lives. Only by its
constant attention and application can a Mason improve his
own life.
Each time we touch the Scriptures or the Sts. John,
something should rub off on each of us, just as brushing
against chalk will leave its mark, no matter how light the
touch.

Values like truth, subduing passions, brotherly love, care of
widows and orphans and practicing charity never go out of
style. They are timeless values, and no matter how often
attacked, always rise victorious in the end.
The Sts. John are timeless examples for each of us. Their
foibles simply show their humanness. It is in their humanness
that we can relate to them, and see that if we apply Scripture
and our Masonic teachings, we too can become better men!