· Johnson City Lodge No. 561
The Three Principal Tenets
A short reflection on Brotherly Love, Relief, and Truth — the three tenets that guide the work of every regular lodge.
Every Master Mason learns early in his journey that the work of the Craft rests on three principal tenets: Brotherly Love, Relief, and Truth. They are not slogans. They are the discipline of a lifetime.
Brotherly Love
By Brotherly Love we are taught to regard the whole human species as one family — the high and low, the rich and poor — created by one Almighty Parent and inhabitants of the same planet. We are to aid, support, and protect each other.
Relief
To relieve the distressed is a duty incumbent on all men, but particularly on Masons, who are linked together by an indissoluble chain of sincere affection. Relief is the practical consequence of Brotherly Love — a willingness to help where help is needed, without thought of reward.
Truth
Truth is a divine attribute and the foundation of every virtue. To be good men and true is the first lesson we are taught in Masonry. On this theme we contemplate, and by its dictates endeavor to regulate our conduct.
These three tenets are not arrived at quickly. The work of a Mason is the slow shaping of his own character — and these are the rule and gauge by which that work is measured.