Wednesday, October 19, 2016

The Rest of the Story

                                                                         
                                 By Tom Hendrickson-P.G.M.

Have you ever not received all of the facts?  Not heard the entire story on something?  Have you only heard part of the story?
I can say that I have sure have been in that situation, and I believe you may have as well.
I used to have season tickets for the MN Gopher Hockey games.  There were times I would miss the first minutes of the game because of work.  After I would arrive and plop down in my seat, all of my friends around me would try to catch me up on the game or would say ahhh Tom, you missed all the action or you missed a great goal.  So of course I would rush home from the game to try and catch the highlights on the 10 o clock news.
I love to read.  I find reading to be a great stress reducer, especially after a tough shift (I am a retired cop).  I was reading a Tom Clancy novel and was riveted in the story.  Just as I got to a major plot development spot in the story I discovered that the printer had made a grave error in the printing of my book.  When I arrived on page 377 I discovered that every page thereafter was a repeat of page 377.  The book had 100 pages of page 377, like a never ending loop.  I had to know how the story ended, so of course, I had to buy a new book to read the ending.
Some years ago my buddies and I went to see a movie at the theater (remember those days when you only could see movies in the theater).  I cannot recall the title now, but I remember that it was a fantastic movie until three fourths of the way through the movie it stopped and we saw nothing but a blank screen.  The movie theater did not have the last reel of the film to finish the movie.  I had to see the ending, so another night I had to go back to the theater and watch the ending.
When the entire story is missing or it feels as something has been missed, this can lead to feeling a little lost, a little confused, or even a little frustrated.  
This same thing happens to those of us who receive the first Three Degrees in lodge and are now are Master Masons.  We did not get the whole story
After completion of my third degree I asked myself---first they lost the Word….then they gave me a substitute!!!  There were some big gaps and there were big pieces missing.
I knew with the months of studying and memorizing that I had to find the rest of the story which I did and you can too.
You will find the completion of the story only in the Royal Arch. Nowhere else.
If you are interested in getting the rest of the story and completing your Masonic journey you should consider talking to a member of the Royal Arch to learn how.
Get the rest of the story - don’t accept a substitute.  Join the Royal Arch.

Sunday, October 2, 2016

Royal Arch Quiz-1

                                                                             
This is the first of five installments of questions and answers that will be posted covering all the degrees of the Royal Arch. At the beginning of each month I will post the quiz, and at the end of the month the answers will be posted. For a complete description of my thoughts. Please see my September 15th posting.



Royal Arch Quiz Night
General Information
P.G.M. Tom Hendrickson

1.    Name the four degrees of the Royal Arch Chapter?
1)                                                    
2)
3)
4)

2.    Define the word Capitular



3.    The first three Masonic Degrees are often referred to as the Blue Lodge degrees.
In the York Rite the four Capitular degrees are often referred to as the ________ Degrees. Often referred to as _____ Lodge.


4.    In the United States the York Rite is a series of degrees that were collected together into a progressive system. It is also known as the _____________Rite.


5.    Where in the United States and what Lodge is the first Royal Arch recorded in the United States in 1753? I’ll give you a hint….it was George Washington’s Lodge.



6.    In the 1700s Grand Secretary Lawrence Dermott of the Antients Grand Lodge characterized the Royal Arch as “the root, heart and marrow of masonry and the capstone of the whole masonic system.


In your own words what do you think he meant by that?