What do Masons Do?" by Wayne T. Adams, 33° appeared in the August 2003 edition of The Northern Light:

As Masons, we are often asked, "what do Masons do?" Often times, we don’t give very good answers to that question.. We say, "We do degrees," or "We give scholarships," or "We’re a fraternal organization." Those answers are not really responsive, and they do the fraternity a disservice. The answer to that question is really so simple: We offer men the opportunity to make good friends, to help others, and to nourish their own value systems. Let me explain.

We offer men opportunities to make good friends. We are a very democratic institution. We have both the high and the low, the rich and the poor. We regard no man for his worldly wealth or honors. We are taught to look for the internal indications of a man’s character and not his external ornamentation. This habit of looking for a man’s quality of character is – and we may wince at the word – a spiritual exercise because it calls again and again on the very best that is in us.

We offer men opportunities to help others. We do help each other. We help, encourage and support one another. Not only that, but we try to help our elder brothers and their widows, and not only that we look beyond the lodge and try to be a positive force in our community, especially with respect to young people. This habit of continually reaching out to help others is also a spiritual exercise, because it calls on the very best that is in us.

We offer men opportunities to nourish their own value systems. As we reflect on our degrees, especially our Entered Apprentice Degree, we note that it is filled, front to back, with a very definite philosophy. We hear about the tenets of our profession as a Mason: Brotherly Love, Relief, and Truth. We hear about the three theological virtues: Faith, Hope, and Charity. We hear about the four cardinal virtues: Temperance, Fortitude, Prudence, and Justice. When we participate in our degrees as a candidate, or as an officer, or as a sideliner, we discover that hearing those words and reflecting on their significance is also a spiritual exercise because it nourishes the best that is within us.

So, when someone asks you, as they will, "What do Masons do?" you will be able to tell them that Masonry offers men these opportunities to make good friends, it offers men opportunities to help others and it offers men the opportunities to nourish their own value system. Upon reflection, we can see that this is more than a simple answer to a straightforward question. It is a defining question because in answering it, we discover as we do, we are.