Indigence.

An educated man appreciates that this word is applied to the poor, the marginalized, the homeless of our country.  They experience poverty on a daily basis. 

The man becoming a Mason in our tyled Lodges is reminded that charity and benevolence are truly Masonic ornaments.  And the Mason reflecting on all the steps of his Masonic career will appreciate that he entered the Fraternity in a state of indigence when he was prepared in the anteroom. 

It is through experiencing the lessons of the three established degrees that his poverty is relieved and he is made whole – and made a Mason.