“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…it was the season of Darkness, it was the season of Light, it was the spring of hope…”

So begins Charles Dickens’ classic 19th century novel “A Tale of Two Cities,” about the struggles several families and individuals faced during the French Revolution. It involves intrigue, plots, romance, and the power of sacrificial faith and love as one of the protagonists at the end of the novel, Sydney Carton, goes to the guillotine, voluntarily giving up his life so that another man may live.

The opening words of Dickens’ novel could possibly describe our 21st century American “Zeitgeist.” There is much turmoil and unsureness around us - a still conflicted political arena; climate change arguments; armed conflict in Europe and the Middle East and not much agreement about how our country should or could be more or less involved; an economy that still remains wobbly. It may not necessarily be the worst of times, but many of us wonder if it’s anywhere near the best of times.

For such times like these, I am so glad to be a part of the masonic fraternity in general and the Commandery in particular. The friendships established in masonry, the altruistic activities and outreach practiced by the fraternity (Shriners’ hospitals, Scottish Rite learning centers, myriad scholarship programs, regional and local HELP programs, the Brotherhood Fund etc., local lodges community involvement efforts, etc.), and the underlying philosophy of “brotherly love, relief and truth” that undergird it all give me great hope. Add to that the Christian emphasis in the Commandery and I see the hope of Christ’s love alive in our fraternity amidst the frustrations of the world.

My prayer is that we all embrace not just the hope evident in our fraternity, but the activities that make that hope real and thus we remain a beacon of light whenever and wherever the darkness of despair threatens.

SK Richard Haley, Associate Grand Prelate