Shannon Moran
When I was about 12 years old I came across a quote from St. Faustina’s diary. Jesus said, “I promise that the soul that will venerate this Image [of Divine Mercy] will never perish.” and I was like, “sick, a free ticket to eternal life? That’s easy.” I think that’s how the Lord caught my attention.
Somewhere around that time, youth ministry began at my church (shout-out to the old youth minister, thanks David!). The Gospel was presented to me as an invitation to adventure with Christ, and I was HOOKED.
When I was 14 my parents split up. The next few years were full of conflict and chaos. It seemed like the only stable element in my life was youth group so I escaped there as much as possible. I knew the Lord was offering me abundant life, but I couldn’t seem to find it. I became apathetic. I went from being the top student in my classes, to failing and doing summer school. It was easier to cope with difficult things by closing my heart to them... which meant closing my heart to my family, some friends, and almost everything I should have cared about.
There were some nights, when I didn’t have anywhere else to go, I’d find myself sitting alone in the church, watching the tabernacle. I knew that His presence was there in the Eucharist somehow, and I was able to find peace there.
When I finished school I became a missionary with @netcanada. Suddenly I was travelling the country with ten of my best friends, hosting retreats, meeting students & inviting them to love Christ. I got to lead thousands of people in worship with my band. I got to pray with students, listen to their doubts, and point them toward the Lord, where I found my hope. But the thing about NET is, you think that you’re on mission to help other people encounter Christ. But in reality, YOU’RE the one learning who Christ is. I was learning that it wasn’t enough to open my heart to the Lord without opening it to the person in front of me. My girl Catherine Doherty said it well: “it would be rather foolish to pray before the Blessed Sacrament by the hour on our day off, if we haven’t understood that the greatest prayer is meeting Christ directly in our neighbour.” Luckily I was surrounded by teammates who loved me through the times that I chose not to love them.
Since then the Lord has been inviting me to empty my heart so He can fill it with more of His Mercy. I co-operate, like, 50% of the time. Lol. It’s a journey.
-Shan Moran
“FEAR NOT, LITTLE FLOCK, FOR IT IS YOUR FATHER’S GOOD PLEASURE TO GIVE YOU THE KINGDOM.”
“MOST ASSUREDLY, THE LORD OF HOSTS AND HIS GRACIOUS MOTHER WILL MAKE UP WHAT IS WANTING SO MUCH IN ME.”