Shall I not drink the cup that the Father gave me?

By Whitney Schieltz

This Holy Week has conveniently coincided with an important time in my discernment.  Now, after a year-and-a-half as an Affiliate with the Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati, living in our formation house outside of El Paso, Texas, I must decide if I am going to apply for Novitiate.  Although I believe that is where I am being called, many unexpected emotions have been surfacing recently.  Most obvious among them has been sadness in recognizing that I will have to leave the U.S.-Mexico border, where I have grown so close to so many people through my community and my ministries.  It will be especially difficult to move away at a time when there is so much need at the border.

As I prayed with the Gospels this week, I found comfort in Jesus’s own struggle to continue on the path that his Father called him to follow.  While he was approaching the end of his earthly life, I too am dealing with the fear and acceptance of an end.  In both cases, however, we trust that what comes next is necessary and what God wants for us.  I’m sure it will be a tough transition, but I just keep hearing Jesus asking, “Shall I not drink the cup that the Father gave me?”  He trusted, and so must I.  I must trust that God is taking me where I need to be.  And I must trust that God will take care of the things I cannot.

Anapra, Mexico: home to Proyecto Santo Niño, the clinic for special needs children
where I have ministered over the past year-and-a-half at the border.

Much of my time at the Proyecto Santo Niño clinic in Anapra is spent playing with the
children and helping with the school started there for the special needs children.