Announcer: This is Becoming a Healing Presence with Dr. Albert Rossi.

In order to become a healing presence for others, we must first be healed ourselves through an active relationship with the great healer, Jesus Christ.

Dr. Rossi is the resident clinical psychologist at St. Vladimir's Seminary.

Dr. Albert Rossi: Today I'd like to make a podcast on seeing God's hand.

I will be honest, I'm making this for myself so that I can somewhat improve my awareness of God's hand in my life.

Frankly, I'm getting better at seeing God's hand in big things, but in the smaller daily routine things, I'm really not so good at seeing God's hand in things.

So, on the big things that's somewhat clear to me about God's handiwork, it's clear to me that when I am weak, then I am strong, and God will provide a way for me to be weak, and therefore he can work through me, and I can be strong.

I'll talk a little about my two recent parish ministries.

The first one was a parish ministry in Newport, Rhode Island.

I put into my GPS, Newport, and then when time came, drove the GPS.

When I got there, I saw this beautiful sign that said, "Newport Motel."

Stayed overnight, pleasantly. Got up the next morning, went to Dunkin Donuts, and was feeling ready to go.

I asked someone which way the ocean was, knowing that Newport, Rhode Island, is on the ocean.

The person pointed that way, and I thanked the person and drove that way for quite a distance. No ocean, so I drove back.

And I asked a second person which way the famous restaurants were, knowing that in Newport, Rhode Island, there's some really fine, recommendable restaurants.

And the person pointed the other way, and I simply drove the other way quite a distance. No restaurants. I drove back.

And then I went to the gas station. The gas station. And a cop car, police car, pulled up beside me. The policeman got out, was very, very kind.

And he said to me, "Where are you from?"

And I pointed to my license plate in the back and said, "New York."

And he said, "Two separate people called me (called him) to say that they were concerned about (me)."

I said, "Oh."

He said, "Well, what are you doing?"

And I said, well, "I'm driving to give a parish retreat in Newport, and then the homily the next day at St. Spyridon's in Newport, Rhode Island."

And he said to me, "Well, that's very interesting because you're in Newport, New Hampshire."

"Oh," said I.

And he said, "Newport, Rhode Island, is 350 miles that way."

"Oh," said I. So he and I chatted a bit.

He said to me, "Well, be on your way, drive safely." And I did.

So I ended up driving 750 miles. I had set aside an extra day.

I would say God had me set aside an extra day just to be at the ocean at Newport, Rhode Island. So I had time to drive all that distance.

Simply got to Newport. And Newport, Rhode Island, is a totally different, beautiful city—long bridge to get to the city.

And then: wonderful restaurants, and the views of the ocean were quite inconveniencing.

But I knew it was God's way to be weak so that he could be strong through me.

That's what happened.

The actual two lengthy conferences on Saturday and the homily the next day in St. Spyridon's in Newport, Rhode Island, went really well,

perhaps, I would say one of the best, if not the best, parish retreats I've ever given.

I knew that. I knew that from their attentiveness and their response, and the priest, Fr. Aaron, told me that was really the case; it was really good—and it was.

But I know the formula: God had me become weak so that he could be strong in me.

Now, I'll stop with that, ask my wife to sing a song, then I'll talk about the second retreat I gave in Troy, Michigan.

So, here is my wife.

Come back to me with all your heart. Don't let fear keep us apart.

Trees do bend though straight and tall; so must we to others call.

Long have I waited for your coming home to me and living deeply our new life.

The wilderness will lead you to your heart where I will speak.

Integrity and justice with tenderness you will know.

Long have I waited for your coming home to me and living deeply our new life.

You shall sleep secure with peace; faithfulness shall be your joy.

Long have I waited for your coming home to me and living deeply our new life.

[Vocalizing]

Come back to me with all your heart. Don't let fear keep us apart.

Trees do bend though straight and tall; so must we to others call.

Long have I waited for your coming home to me and living deeply our new life.

That song really is a way to soften our hearts.

About the second retreat I gave a couple weeks ago in Troy, Michigan, same basic formula:

God had me be weak in a different way so that he could be strong through me.

Long story short, I flew to Detroit and realized I didn't have my iPhone. Uh-oh!

And then someone picked me up and took me to the hotel, and I didn't have a phone.

I couldn't contact people to get me to church and get me to the airport and do other things, and it was quite limiting.

Realizing my life without an iPhone was—what word do I want?—was difficult, but I managed.

And on the drive back to Detroit in a flight, back to my home in New York, and found that I'd left my phone, in my car, back in New York.

The actual retreat was really good—they said so; I knew it was—but again, I could see God's hand in my life, helping me to be weak so that he could be strong through me.

Now, my problem is everyday life, ordinary things. I can go much of a day or much of a week doing ordinary things—la-la-la, loo-loo-loo—without—how do I say?—without an awareness of God's hand in—pumping gasoline into my car and all the other more ordinary tasks of the day.

I need to say that, and I need to make this podcast for myself, so that I really can be a little more open, aware of God's hand in my total life.

With that, I'll stop.

This is Dr. Albert Rossi for Ancient Faith Radio asking myself and yourself to please, please, please pray for Ancient Faith Ministries and to support Ancient Faith Ministries with our finances.

Announcer: Dr. Rossi is the author of the Ancient Faith publishing book Becoming a Healing Presence available at store.ancientfaith.com.

This has been a listener-supported presentation of Ancient Faith Radio.