the inDiSSOLubLe
chain
“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.”
is purposeful. Without understanding the
dimension of brotherly love, a Mason would
have little concept of the chain that links him
to other Masons. The chain of Freemasonry is
not the chain of the prisoner nor of the slave; it
is the voluntary assuming of a link in the chain
of brotherhood, which one has promised to
support of his “own free will and accord.” The
chain that binds him to his brethren will only
In the lecture of the first degree of Masonry, we encounter for the
first time the symbol of the chain. The chain is one of the more neglected symbols of Masonry, but that should not be so. It is, in fact,
one of the more powerful symbols through which Masonry teaches
an important lesson. It actually has many meanings in Masonry,
but in this context, it is associated with “a duty incumbent on all
men, but particularly on Masons…” In order to truly understand
our obligation “to relieve the distressed,” we need to understand
the meaning of the Masonic chain.
Linked in love
The first aspect of this symbol, and perhaps the most easily under-
stood, is that a chain is composed of separate links. In the lecture,
relief – the second of the three principal tenets of Freemasonry
– follows that of brotherly love, which is the first. The placement
be broken by death, but it is still voluntary.
Beyond this earthly life
There is, however, a deeper symbolism of the
chain within Freemasonry. According to some
Masonic writers, it is associated with the
