Refreshment and Rest

By. Damian Jack. FPSH

And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made. - Genesis 2:2-3 (KJV)

I am a huge fan of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), So of course I've seen every movie that has been released thus far. I distinctly remember in the movie Avengers: Endgame when Tony Stark had a conversation with his wife, Pepper, about him discovering the formula for time travel and what his next move would be. Understanding the risks involved with such a discovery, and how that may jeopardize his relationship with his wife and child, along with the many attempts from Pepper to get him to slow down, he is conflicted and considers putting the discovery in a lockbox, throwing it into the lake, and going to bed.  Pepper looks at her distressed husband and asks him a question that would cause him to self-reflect, “But would you be able to rest?”

Brothers, let me ask you this question: Do you rest? I didn't ask if you slept because we all sleep, however, sleeping does not mean you have rested. In the Masonic lesson about prioritizing time, we are taught to reserve 8 hours for refreshment and sleep. Advent Health states, ""While quality sleep is critical to feeling whole, rest is so much more than your nightly hours of shut-eye.”

So, what is rest? Rest is defined as, "an instance or period of relaxing or ceasing to engage in strenuous or stressful activity in order to relax, refresh oneself, or recover strength." Each of us has something in our lives that's considered stressful and strenuous. Something that we think about on a regular basis to the point it can affect how we sleep, causing us not to rest and refresh. Advent Health continues, "Rest involves your whole being, not just your body" This means being in a resting position, does not automatically mean you are resting. Think back to the Historical Lecture of the Master Mason Degree and put yourself in the mindset of the Fellow Crafts who were instructed to find the Ruffians. During the search, one was weary and decided to rest and refresh himself. Now, let's ponder this for a minute. Your life is hanging in the balance, and only the capture of the Ruffians guarantees your life being saved. Do you think you would be able to rest and refresh with that type of stress on you? I assume that some of you reading this article may have said no but do you see the lesson here?

After taking time to rest and refresh, one of the companions accidentally caught hold of a sprig of acacia during his attempt to rise. Had he not taken time to rest and refresh, do you think he would have found that sprig, which ultimately led to the capture of the Ruffians? If this companion can take the time to rest and refresh himself, even with his life on the line, what's stopping you from doing the same?

We are taught in the Middle Chamber that the seventh day was consecrated by our ancient brethren as a day of rest from labor "thereby enjoying frequent opportunities to contemplate the glorious works of creation and to adore their great Creator." As stated in the passage of scripture above, God saw fit to rest when he completed his work. The importance of rest is frequently being inculcated in our minds. There's even rest within music; the musical definition of rest is, "an interval of silence of a specified duration." Why is this significant? Aside from the obvious lesson of music taught within the Middle Chamber, we're also given the lesson of silence being a truly Masonic virtue. In moments of silence, we can find the space to rest; rest our bodies, our minds, and our spirits.

In the first definition of rest, we find the word refresh, which has also been stated multiple times in this article. Refreshment is defined as, "the giving of fresh mental or physical strength or energy." As previously stated, eight hours should be allotted for the giving of fresh mental or physical strength. One of the wages of a Fellow Craft reminds us of the importance of refreshment, the importance of fresh mental and physical strength and energy. You're even reminded at the opening and closing of each lodge meeting that the Junior Warden will call the craft from labor to refreshment, and from refreshment back to labor.

Why, Brothers, do we find it so difficult to rest and refresh ourselves?  Many of us will say there’s much work to be done, and as Luke 10:2 tells we us, "The harvest is great, but the laborers are few.”  And I’m not just speaking about labor within the Order, I'm also speaking about personal labor: family, work, health, etc. Although we've been taught how to prioritize our time, many of us still claim the inability to find time. I say to you Brothers, stop trying to FIND TIME, for the more you attempt to FIND time, the more you lose yourself in the things that keep you from TAKING time to care for yourself. Instead, you need to MAKE time. This is what the 24-inch gauge teaches us to do. Make time for refreshment, rest, and sleep.

Brothers, refreshment and rest is what leads to your peace. Sadhguru stated, "Peace is not the ultimate goal, but the most fundamental requirement in one's life. Those who think that having peace of mind is the highest goal will only rest in peace." No matter how much work there is, no matter how stressful your situation is, if you truly came into Masonry to improve yourself, then please take the necessary steps to take care of yourself. Be still, refresh, and rest.

This article was first published in the Phylaxis (Vol. L  No. 1) and reprinted here with permission of the Editor of the Phylaxis (Jeff Menzise, Ph.D., FPS) and the author (Damian Jack, FPSH).  The Phylaxis is the official publication of The Phylaxis Society.   Please consider visiting the website of the Phylaxis Society.

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