The words of the call of Jeremiah are among the most important in the entire Bible. These words are the words that God is speaking to all of us. God is indeed the one who knows us better than we know ourselves. It is the deepest call of faith to come before God in humility and trust, and to admit that we do not have all the answers. We depend on God to "put the words in our mouths". Imagine what it might be like for God to "put out his hand and touch" your mouth. Is there anything that you might say that you have not said before? Is there a sense that the faith that you possess is strengthened by this gift of God?

The other image that we have in the Gospel is that of the sower and the seed. God is the sower and He plants the seed of faith in all of us. At the same time it is up to us to nourish that seed. Otherwise, just as if it had been planted in poor soil or eaten by the birds, our faith will not grow. The greatest gift of all is that God has given each of us a faith that is unique. For, just as God knew Jeremiah better than he knew himself, God chooses a special variety of seed for each of us. As long as we cooperate with God in His plans for us, that special seed will flourish . . . so much so that we will have many new seeds to plant and share with others as God's servants.