James E. Bungard, REGC
Good Knights of New Mexico, Greetings!
Summer is in full swing and things are heating up… literally all over the country. Have you noticed the heat!!! With Summer comes family vacations, barbeques, fireworks and the Fourth of July. Speaking of the Fourth of July let us consider and give thanks to those that have went before us. What would Freemasonry be today if it were not for the men who came before us? Where would we all be today without the triumphs, struggles, conflicts, and resolutions of our past?
On the fourth of July, we celebrate the anniversary of the birth of our nation. The Declaration of Independence was adopted by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776. Let each celebrate it with grateful appreciation to our founding fathers for their foresight, for their wisdom, and for their dedication to the cause of freedom. Let us remember it was those Freemasons involved in the Revolution who had the courage to risk their lives for an ideal. It was in a Freemason lodge where they heard those ideals put forth and where they were reminded of them to the point, they became a part of their lives. A gift which is now ours to cherish and pass on in our Freemason Lodges and in our communities.
The Masonic Fraternity has always required that its members be loyal citizens of their country. We believe that we should be law-abiding citizens. If we don’t agree with a law, we seek to change it, not violate it. The liberty we enjoy is a priceless heritage earned for us by our wise forefathers. We are entitled to keep it as long as we retain a proper attitude toward and conception of liberty. Our liberty as Masons is not to do as we please but to do as we ought. We must not do wrong unrebuked. We are taught to listen to the dictates of reason and conscience.
Real liberty means freedom to obey our obligations and duties. Liberty is the law of God. It is honesty in our dealings with our fellow man. It is absolute allegiance to truth. It is conformity with those rules of conduct that are best for our community, for our nation, and for mankind. If we would always remember that we have duties and obligations as Christian Masons and as men, we will not miscomprehend the true meaning of freedom and liberty.
Our next Grand York Rite Quarterly meeting will be at Montezuma Lodge #1 in Santa Fe on July 25, 2024 at 6 pm Thursday evening before Land of Enchantment Festival (LEF). The Land of Enchantment Festival (LEF) will be held July 26-27, 2024 in Santa Fe. Registration for the LEF is now open. If you have any questions regarding registration, please contact our Grand Recorder of myself. If you want to participate in any degree work, please contact our Right Eminent Past Grand Commander, James Overfelt who is the director of work for the LEF. Events coming up later in the year which you are welcome to participate in are at the following; 69th Triennial Conclave Salt Lake City, UT 17-21 August 2024, Southwest Regional Conference in Salt Lake City UT, November 1-2, 2024 and Colorado River Fall Festival, October 20-22 in Laughlin NV.
I want to wish everyone a safe and joyous Fourth of July! May it be safe and filled with family and friends! May the ideals of Justice, Freedom and Equality be ever present in your lodges and Commandries and God Bless America!!