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Why is that our meeting place is called
a "Lodge"?" Normally when people from
different walks of life get together in a common place
for a cause we calI such gatherings as a club, as an
association, as a society etc. Only in Masonry it is
called a 'Lodge'.
We are aware that Masonry was founded
many centuries ago at a time when communication and
transport were limited and slow, unlike with what we
are blessed today. Probably in those yesteryears, a
Mason had to walk or ride a horse and it could have
taken days for him to attend a Masonic meeting. Away
from home, naturally he must have stayed in a lodge
and lodge could have been th~e place where the Brethren
met to perform t:heir Masonic duties and the name 'Lodge'
could have become a calling name.
A Lodge is a place of stay, which is
outside our home and it is a place where we stay for
a short period to complete a job or an assignment. Mter
the completion of the job, we leave the Lodge and get
back to our home, which is our permanent place of stay.
A Lodge is called a Hotel in the modern days. .When
we travel we take a room in a Hotel and stay there till
we complete a job or fulfil an obligation. We go to
stay there for a specific purpose and after completing
the work we return back to our home. Nobody stays in
a Lodge or a hotel without a purpose. Only an insane
person would do that.
In the Spiritual sense, for a Mason,
this Universe is the "Lodge", implying that
we have come into existence in this world for a specific
purpose and we are expected to fulfil the purpose and
leave the place in a short time. The average life of
a human being is about sixty to seventy years and this
is a very short period compared to the life of the universe,
which is millions of years. Since our stay in the universe
is very, very short, for a Mason the universe is considered
as a 'Lodge'. Having come to stay in this universal
Lodge, the next question is for what purpose have we
come to stay in this Lodge and what is the job that
we are expected to complete? Another question that can
be raised is, if the world is a Lodge then which is
our original home?
Every creation in the universe has
a purpose for its creation. The Great Architect of the
Universe created us for a specific purpose. There is
no creation in the universe that does not have a reason.
As human beings it is our prime duty to find out the
purpose of our creation and then try to fulfil the purpose
and then leave. Perhaps it is for this reason that Masons
refer to themselves as 'Members of R Lodge'. The word
'Lodge' is prefixed to our name to constantly remind
us of this fundamental purpose. In Masonry every word
has been rightly and aptly chosen. It has a valuable
meaning and purpose behind it. It is for us Masons tofind
out the hidden meaning.
By W. Bro. V. Prithviraman - Lodge
Jyothi No.253
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