The Crypt of Your Heart
By Most Illustrious Companion John D. Barnes
Past Most Illustrious Grand Master and Grand Treasurer, Grand Council of New Jersey

My Companion:

A crypt is not an unlit, dirty place, fit only for burying something. It is a place of strength and beauty. It is the base and foundation of the structure above it; without it, the building would collapse. The picture on the right is of the undercroft, or crypt, of La Sainte Chapelle, built by Louis IX, Saint Louis, who fought in the Crusades. Its function was to serve as a repository for the holy relics that he had collected, a place where the faithful could come and admire them. It is not dark and uninviting.

Your heart is your crypt, your undercroft. It is the base and foundation of who you are. You were first prepared to be made a Mason there. It is the repository of the mysteries of Freemasonry. It is something you share with your family and friends, your Brothers and Companions. It should not be a dark and inhospitable place.

And, like the crypt shown above, it is something you leave behind for others to visit and admire. The good deeds and love you share with others are the edifice you build while your heart still beats. It is what began when you stood in the Northeast Corner.

How people view your building is how you will be remembered. When they see your Temple will they be afraid to enter, or will they say “Here is something made by a Most Excellent Master”?