Sharon Nahas

You won’t have an easy time fitting the faith life of longtime parishioner Sharon Nahas into a tidy box. There are too many facets, and each one is significant: cradle Catholic, devoted daughter, loyal sister, loving aunt, Medjugorje pilgrim, former schoolteacher, lector, Eucharistic Minister, Confirmation mentor, daily Mass-goer, lover of Scripture, recent graduate of Encounter School of Ministry, and more. On a more personal note, she’s a believer in miracles, a copious note-taker, and a collector of quotes—including one particular favorite from Pope St. John Paul II: “In that little host is the solution to all the problems of the world.”

Over the years, Sharon’s devotion to “that little host” has included countless hours of prayer and reflection before the Eucharist. “Adoration is powerful,” she says. “It is the body of Jesus. He’s there.” Through Adoration, Sharon has found clarity on matters both large and small, from day-to-day issues with students to a better understanding of God’s plan for her life.

She remembers one day when she was reflecting on Jesus’ question to Peter, “Who do you say that I am?” In her journal, she wrote the words that came to her—Savior, Redeemer, etc.—and then, curious to know how Jesus saw her, she turned the question around. “Who do You say that I am?” she asked. Waiting for His answer, she wrote a few words in her notebook, but the list didn’t feel complete when she left. “What else?” she wondered.

Later that day she returned to the church, thinking she had left a book there. When she reached the pew to look for it, she suddenly heard Our Lord say clearly, “You are an Adorer of Christ Jesus.”

He was right, of course. “Adoration is instrumental, a big piece of my life,” Sharon says. “I receive an immense amount of peace.” Over time she has learned to cultivate a more intimate relationship with God and pray more deeply. She cites the Gospel of John, “On that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you.”

Her experience with Encounter Ministries has played an important role, too. “Intimacy with God is important, and since I started Encounter Ministries, they have pumped up my prayer life immensely.” The organization’s mission, to unleash the power of the Holy Spirit and activate disciples to build God’s kingdom, has transformed Sharon’s faith life, bringing her into contact with people from around the world and helping her to discern God’s will and hear His voice.

Adoration will always be a pillar of Sharon’s faith life. She shares yet another favorite quote that sums it up perfectly. As Pope Benedict XVI said in his 2005 address for World Youth Day, “Dear young people, the happiness you are seeking, the happiness you have a right to enjoy has a name and a face: it is Jesus of Nazareth, hidden in the Eucharist.”