An Excerpt from Bumping Into God Again: 35 More Stories of Finding Grace in Unexpected Places by Dominic Grassi

Dominic Grassi, pastor of St. Josaphat Church in Chicago, presents 35 stories about the graceful touch of God. Here is a passage about an honorable path of devotion.

"What someone like me might call meditation or reflection or even prayer my brother simply calls fishing. Imagine how people would react if, on a warm day in the summer when the grass needed to be cut or the leaves needed to be cleaned out of the gutters, we said we were going down to the lake to stare or meditate or pray. They would think we were either lazy slackers or a little out of our minds. But if, instead, we pulled out an expensive, perfectly balanced, lightweight rod and reel and some exotic lures and announced that we were going fishing, people would quickly admire us for being so well-rounded and for having such a wholesome hobby.

"Most of us could use a little time sitting, looking at the sun, feeling the breeze, and listening to the waves break on the shore. Fishing can be decidedly low-tech. It can be done while our thoughts melt into dreams and our hopes into intercessions. We can then find the quiet silence in the core of our heart and feel the great stillness that is there — indeed, the presence of God that is there. And if a fish happens to wake us out of that state, at least we will have something to show for how we spent the day."