God speaks to Jeremiah in a personal way:

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,
and before you were born I consecrated you.”

Jeremiah is not chosen because he is strong.
He is chosen because God wills it.

Jeremiah answers honestly:

“Ah, Lord God!
Behold, I do not know how to speak,
for I am only a youth.”

He sees only his weakness.

God sees purpose.

“Do not say, ‘I am only a youth.’
For to all to whom I send you, you shall go…
Do not be afraid of them,
for I am with you to deliver you.”

Then the Lord touches his mouth.

“Behold, I have put my words in your mouth.”

The prophet is not sent with confidence.
He is sent with God’s word.

This prepares us for the Gospel.

Jesus sends out the seventy-two.

Not as heroes.
But as labourers.

“The harvest is plentiful,
but the labourers are few.”

They are not sent with wealth.

“Carry no moneybag, no knapsack, no sandals.”

They are sent with peace.

“Say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’”

They return amazed:

“Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name!”

They are excited by power.

Jesus redirects them:

“Do not rejoice in this,
that the spirits are subject to you,
but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”

The mission is not about success.
It is about belonging.

This is where St Patrick stands.

Patrick was not born in Ireland.
He did not choose it.

He was taken there as a slave.

In his youth,
he was captured and carried away.

In suffering,
he learned to pray.

Later, he escaped.

He could have stayed safe.

Instead, he returned.

Not with an army.
But with the Gospel.

He did not go because he was fearless.
He went because he was called.

Like Jeremiah,
he knew his weakness.

Like the seventy-two,
he went with nothing
but the word of God.

He preached to a people
who did not know Christ.

He faced danger.
He faced misunderstanding.
He faced rejection.

But he trusted
that God had placed His word
in his mouth.

Patrick did not bring clever arguments.

He brought the name of Christ.

He did not rely on force.

He relied on faith.

And the land was changed.

Not in a day.
Not without struggle.

But by obedience.

Jeremiah thought he was too young.

Patrick had been a slave.

The disciples were sent with no supplies.

God uses what seems small
to do what seems impossible.

This is the lesson of today.

Vocation is not comfort.

It is calling.

Mission is not confidence.

It is trust.

And success is not power.

It is faithfulness.

Jesus says:

“Do not rejoice that the spirits are subject to you,
but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”

Patrick did not convert Ireland
to make his name famous.

He preached
because Christ had claimed him.

His joy
was not in visible success
but in belonging to God.

Jeremiah was sent to speak
whether people listened or not.

The seventy-two were sent
to proclaim peace
whether it was received or not.

Patrick was sent
back to the land of his suffering
because God had written his name
in heaven.

The Church remembers him
not because he was powerful
but because he was obedient.

Not because he was safe
but because he was faithful.

And this feast is not only about Ireland.

It is about the Church’s mission.

Every Christian is sent.

Not always far.
But always outward.

To speak truth.
To offer peace.
To trust God’s word
more than personal safety.

Jeremiah says:
“I have put my words in your mouth.”

Jesus says:
“The kingdom of God has come near to you.”

Patrick lived between those two sentences.

He trusted that God would speak
through his weakness.

And God did.

So the question today is not:

Am I brave enough?

It is:

Am I willing to be sent?

Not with everything prepared.
Not with every fear gone.

But with God’s word
and God’s promise.

“Do not be afraid,
for I am with you.”

“Rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”

St Patrick believed those words.

And because he believed them,
a nation heard the Gospel.

Faith does not begin
with strength.

It begins
with obedience.

And God still sends His people
the same way.