Good Counsel Celebrates its 25th Anniversary
From Christopher Bell
Yes, it’s 25 years ago today that the doors opened at St. Francis’ former convent in Hoboken to take in a young mom and baby boy. You’ve continued that welcoming and added much compassionate love and support, building a family too large to count.
Fr. Benedict Groeschel said long before the first home opened, “From the Cross flowed water and blood. If it’s His work, it will come about through His blood.” Births are bloody, but they are also joyful. Jesus came into the world like any other baby and he was reborn on the Cross through blood and water. He re-births us through His blood and water on that Cross.
I think of all this during this quarter century because of the many lessons this mission has taught me, and probably you. One great lesson is that we are in a battle. A real fight inside and out. The outer battle is not really with other people who challenge us by their confrontational comments, threats, demands or anger. Those things can help us improve our supreme imperfections. The outer struggle is with the Evil One who seeks to persuade, surprise or divert us by fear, greed or pride from doing the Good that God wants us to do. We have to stay alert and ready all the time to see what is truly Good and what is not. The bigger battle is inside where even the Devil can’t touch us. Inside where we are alone and have to listen hard, sometimes very hard, and all the time to hear the voice of the Lord.
Having had the privilege to be part of recent Case Conferences and year-end reviews of our work, at every turn I heard of how one or another of our Good Counsel family has gone the extra mile to bring back the lost sheep — or more specifically to try to keep that little lamb from wondering off.
There are children in our homes celebrated before as well as at their birth and many days after that. There are many moms who are enjoying safety and security which was unknown in their short lives before coming here.
Another battle is in the mirror. Do we see a difference or do we see ourselves in the moms and babies who come to us? Made in the image and likeness of God, don’t we see each other in all others?
Good Counsel has taught me a lot and you probably have some great insights too. I hope you take a moment today to pause, as I will in a chapel before Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, to Thank You Lord for the opportunity to be here with You, Lord, and with you, especially with and for the ladies and babies You send to increase our family, to increase our sight of who You are and to increase our ears to hear You and to be able to help You in each other. Thank You Jesus.
