Toronto Mental
Health Support -
211
Seniors Help
Line - (416)
217-2077
Seniors Safety
Line - (416)
899-1011
Crisis Help - crisisservicescanada.ca
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Parish Nursing Health
Tip
posted for the week of January 29,
2023
Abandoned by God? NEVER
When I saw Rev. Paul’s email this morning stating
that he and his family have COVID, this question
struck me. Two churches with no minister! A
different situation but it helped me to empathize
more with St. Cyprian’s people.
Also for Iona folks this particular situation
brings terrible memories. We have already lost one
beloved minister to COVID. Please, Lord, don’t let
it happen again. On this point I am sure it won’t.
Rev. Robert Reid had no vaccinations, as well as
other health conditions which made him vulnerable.
Rev. Paul is younger, healthier, and completely
vaccinated, so I have no doubt he will be back
with us soon.
In the meantime we will be blessed to have Antonio
Siracusa, a former nurse now a minister and
hospital chaplain, preaching for us this weekend.
We have had him once before and appreciated his
message. All that being considered, might there be
a message from God for us in this situation? I
think so.
Stretched by God - YES
Why, Lord, do we need ongoing struggles and
changes in our lives and situations both as
individuals and as Your people? My “to do” list is
already too long. It feels like I will never get
to the end of it. I’m surely not the only one who
feels this way. Many of us are older and in
relatively comfortable routines. Why do we need to
be “stretched”?
Because we live in a time of unprecedented unrest,
violence, social upheaval. Children are killing
people they don’t even know. Thousands of homeless
people wander the streets of Toronto seeking
shelter, food, help with their lives. Many people
struggle with mental health problems, feel
ostracized and unable to cope. In short we are
living in a world which no longer knows You.
As Your disciples, Jesus’ hands and feet in the
world, we need to do our best to help others come
to know and worship You as we do - our loving
heavenly Father who gives us rules to live by but
always loves and forgives us no matter how we go
astray.
Just reading this list is enough to make me feel
discouraged. Lord, there is NO way we can make all
the changes that need to be made in our society.
Of course not, and that is not what You expect of
us.
What we can do is reach out to the people in our
neighborhood and help them learn that there is a
loving community at Tri-Church which will welcome
them and be here to support them in any ways that
we can. And we can only do this with Your help,
not on our own. The important thing now is to
accept Your need for us in our situation and do
whatever we can with Your help and guidance.
Thank you, Lord, for seeing that we still have
potential to serve You and others in important
ways, thus giving meaning and purpose to our
lives.
All praise to You forever!
Margaret Black
Parish Nurse
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