Kwame Acquaah, 32°, K.C.C.H. Elect
2300 M Street, NW, Suite 200
Washington, D.C. 20037

.....What is the first benefit of Freemasonry?” This is not a trick question. Rather, it is asked to draw attention to the importance of a custom central to Freemasonry.
.....Let us begin with a definition. A benefit is “an act of kindness; a favor conferred; or anything that is advantageous to or for the good of a person.” In this light, Freemasonry offers many benefits, but what is the first benefit? To be elected to membership in a Lodge is in itself a benefit. In accepting us, the Fraternity validates our sense of self-worth as it welcomes us to Masonry’s door and admits us to the Craft’s privileges. Subsequently, during and following each Degree, we are embraced by true and trusty friends upon whose fidelity we can rely. That is another benefit.
.....A third key benefit is the opportunity to pursue our self-improvement by learning and adopting a system of morality, which encourages us to live a highly moral life, guided by the tenets of Brotherly Love, Relief, and Truth. We gain from the knowledge that wisdom is attained by degrees and through contemplation, and this is imprinted on our minds as we are encouraged to attain suitable proficiency at various stages on our journey toward the East. Through intellectual, moral, and philosophical studies and practices, we develop our whole persona and gain an appreciation of Truth, “thereby, fitting our minds as living stones for that spiritual building, that house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.”
.....The tenet of Brotherly Love that urges us to conciliate true friendships with all good men without regard to race, country of origin, sect, and opinion is also among the primary benefits of Freemasonry. The warm fellowship, fraternal regard, and occasions for exchange of information and ideas enjoyed among Masons are viewed by many to be treasured resources.
Yet another benefit is the provision of relief to our Brethren and, more especially, our willingness to extend charity to all humankind. We are taught that the act of giving engenders blessing to the giver as much as to the receiver. Financial aid, moral support, and other forms of assistance to worthy distressed Master Masons, their widows and orphans, and others less fortunate, confirm our belief that we are all children of God with responsibility to each other. By such acts, we give meaning to the contention that ours is a Brotherhood of Man under the Fatherhood of God.
.....There are many more benefits. Some are available to us in consequence of how our Lodges operate. As we attend meetings and participate in the governance of our Lodges, we gain insights into democratic practices not only through the frequent elections but also by our adherence to internal order and self-governance, equality, justice, fairness, meritocracy, and freedom of thought and speech. Our Lodges also help us to improve our communication and leadership skills by teaching us, often imperceptibly, the art of speaking, listening, and thinking on our feet as well as the management and administration of institutions.
.....The list of benefits we enjoy in Freemasonry is, obviously, extensive and more than could be discussed in this article. However, for our present purpose, the question to be answered is which of the manifold benefits qualify as the first benefit of Freemasonry?
.....It is my view that none of the benefits we have reviewed qualify for that appellation. In fact, the first benefit of Freemasonry is to be found in one sentence in the ritual of the Entered Apprentice Degree. The sentence, addressed to the Candidate, instructs him thusly: “You will therefore kneel for the benefit of Lodge prayer.”
.....The “benefit of Lodge prayer” is the first benefit of Freemasonry because it is the first gift of love the Candidate receives upon his first admission into a Masonic Lodge. This benefit marks the true beginning of the ceremony that will take the Candidate from Darkness into Light. The Candidate is granted this benefit before he is allowed to engage in the great and important undertaking of initiation. It is a benefit of Freemasonry because it is a gift offered by the Lodge to the Candidate, a favor freely conferred by the Lodge.
.....Why is the Lodge prayer and not election to membership the first benefit of Freemasonry? Because the former takes place within the Lodge in the presence of the Candidate after he has knocked at the West Gate and it had been opened to him. While the election to membership is important and precedes the Lodge prayer in time, it occurs in the absence of the petitioner, the-soon-to-become Candidate. Only the ceremony of entrance introduces the Candidate to the new world of Masonry and prepares him to receive its first benefit.
.....Significantly, the fact that the first benefit of Freemasonry is a Lodge prayer informs the Candidate about the centrality of Deity within the Craft and the importance of prayer in a Mason’s life. All Masons believe in a Supreme Being, and Freemasonry fosters the study and understanding of God and man’s relation to God. Although Freemasonry is not a religion, it inculcates religious thoughts, sentiments, and duties, and it requires the presence of the Volume of the Sacred Law upon the altar in a Masonic Lodge.
.....For a vast multitude of Masons, the Supreme Being is a God who answers prayers, thus the invocation of God’s blessing on a Candidate that he may become a true and faithful Brother among Masons. The Candidate is also admonished to heed the power of prayer and to invoke the blessings of Deity in all his laudable undertakings. The Candidate later discovers that Masons of all faiths pray together during the opening and closing of the Lodge. The lesson for him is that our Order places a high premium on prayer and inculcates religious toleration by uniting good men of all faiths.
.....Prayers are essential to every Mason. They bring him to the knowledge and love of God and serve as his invitation to God to intervene in his life and daily affairs. A Mason, therefore, sees himself in the same light as the Psalmist who said: “As for me, I will call upon God; and the Lord shall save me. Evening, and morning, and at noon will I pray.”
.....Prayers may be formal or informal, public or private, but they must be attended with seriousness, devotedness, and humility. The Rev. Dr. Norman Vincent Peale, 33°, Grand Cross, in his book The Power of Positive Thinking, noted: “The secret of prayer is to find the process that will most effectively open your mind humbly to God. Any method through which you can stimulate the power of God to flow into your mind is legitimate.” In other words, we can pray anywhere and anytime, provided it is done with a sense of purpose. As Charles Spurgeon has observed: “We cannot all argue but we can all pray; we cannot all be leaders but we can all be pleaders; we cannot all be mighty in rhetoric but we can all be prevalent in prayer.” In sum, to pray with other Masons or by ourselves is to give meaning to the first benefit we receive in Freemasonry.