We Never Really Die

 

Last night during our stated meeting in Lodge, we came to the part of the evening where we speak of illness, struggles, and those Brothers who have passed beyond this life. It was mentioned that a very respected and beloved Brother of the Lodge had passed away.

I never had the pleasure of meeting him personally, yet from the stories shared about him, I still felt a sense of loss.

Not only the loss of a Brother — because anytime a Brother passes there should be grief — but also sorrow for those who shared a deeper and more personal bond with him. After all, we are all connected.

Last night I shared only a few brief thoughts, which is unusual for me because I do enjoy speaking from time to time. But as I listened to the memories and stories being told, one word kept repeating itself in my mind: “was.”

Now, I say this with no judgment toward any Brother sharing those memories. God forbid. But I do not believe there truly is such a thing as “was” when speaking of someone who has passed.

Our Landmarks teach us that belief in a resurrection to a future life is a requirement of a Mason. In other words, we do not believe this life is the end. Likewise, in 2 Corinthians 5:8, Paul writes:

“We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.”

Again, this tells us there is no true ending. There is no “was.” There only “is.”

We are spiritual beings having a human experience. In Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians, he speaks of the physical body and the spiritual body. The physical body falls away, but the spiritual remains. In other words, the spiritual self was always there — simply clothed for a time in humanity.

I truly believe the real Fourth Degree happens when we are finally called to lay down our working tools and are welcomed into that “Lodge not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.” The first three degrees are dedications to a way of life, but the true initiation comes when the Divine calls us home and grants us perfect light and wisdom.

That is simply my view, and it is perfectly alright if others disagree.

So a Brother has climbed the winding stairs and left us physically. But are they truly gone?

I do not believe so.

“But Brother Marshall,” someone might say, “they are no longer here. We cannot see them. We cannot speak to them.”

Oh, but perhaps we can. Remember, there is no “was.”

Take a moment and speak to them. What is remembered still lives.

I am licensed to officiate weddings, and I have also performed several Celebration of Life services. One thing I often hear from grieving families is how a loved one seemed connected to something specific — perhaps a certain bird, a favorite song, a race number, or some small symbol that suddenly appears everywhere after they are gone.

When my nephew passed away, his racing number was 47. For a very long time afterward, the number 47 seemed to appear constantly in my life. Was it coincidence? Perhaps. But I would never rob someone of the comfort or magic of those moments. Maybe those things are reminders. Maybe they are whispers telling us everything is alright.

My nephew was an Air Force Loadmaster on C-130 aircraft. After his funeral service, the local Air Guard base performed a C-130 flyover over the church. And I will swear until my dying day that I saw the rear ramp open and him sitting there, flying off toward his next adventure.

Do not let go of those memories. The “is” lives within them.

We visit those who have passed on Memorial Day, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, birthdays, and anniversaries. We stand before their stones and speak to them. We tell them we miss them. We remember.

Why?

Because deep down we know they are not truly gone.

Please take these words in the spirit they are offered. Our physical bodies may wear out and return to the earth, but we are far more than flesh and bone.

You are not merely physical. You are Spiritual.

And I do not believe you ever truly die.

I love you and may we govern ourselves accordingly.