Fraternity-Testvériség, 1956 (34. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
1956-10-01 / 10. szám
2 FRATERNITY A FRATERNAL I ST A Fraternalist has that little trace of God’s own love implanted into the soul of man to be developed or destroyed as the individual himself decides. In mortal life, we acknowledge our brother because of a common father. In our spiritual life, when we call a man “our brother” we acknowledge the fatherhood of God. We may loudly proclaim our profession of faith and attend our chosen church with diligence but “if we have not charity, we are become of sounding brass and a tinkling cymbal.” Thus has He told us to be fraternal. He has also said, “Ye have done it unto the least of these my brethren . . .” and “love thy neighbor as thyself.” These are only a few of the admonitions that we find in our Book of God’s laws but all of them weave themselves into a beautiful warm human attribute that we call “fraternalism” without realizing that in the practice of brotherhood, we are actually keeping His law and worshipping Him. The fraternalist is twice blessed. Not alone do his kindly deeds bring happiness to the recipient, but they also fill his own heart with a warm satisfaction that nothing else can equal. Fraternalism is an inexhaustible quality of the soul. It will wrap one person completely with its helpful love, and then extend itself to include one hundred, and each one of the hundred will receive just as much as the first one did. And the one who directed its action, toward the first one, or the hundred benefits from his gift to a far greater extent because he enters a great stream of loving force where “the least of these” are also adding their force to those who love Him. Fraternalism — the love of your brother and the love of God — are inseparable. One cannot love God and deny his love to his brothers, nor can he love his brother and not love God. It is not measurable. The “Widow’s Mite” is just as great an expresssion of fraternal love as is a gift of a great fortune, because in each case it represents all that one can give. Thus it is that fraternal societies are the greatest force for understanding and love that we have on earth. Our churches teach us the same eternal truths as interpreted by their own creeeds. All men (and women) can support fraternalism because it is the very core of their beliefs, and because following it, they enrich their own lives and the lives of all whom they may contact. It is one of the few things that becomes greater by dividing it. It goes out from a heart of love, benefits all whom it touches and leaves behind it, in the fraternalist’s heart, just as much as that heart held. It seeks to be of benefit for the joy of helping others. It confers a greater benefit to the giver and makes all lives finer and more beautiful as it keeps the commandment to “love thy neighbor as thyself.” (N. F. C. A.)
