When you’re heading out on a mission for the Lord, a very good idea is to bring a friend with you. In the case of The Missionary of Wall Street, readers know that the missionary had (and still has) two important friends with him without whom the mission would not have functioned. His Wall Street brother in Christ, Bob, who appears throughout literally back to back with him on the corner of Prince and Mott, and “the missionary in the back of the church”, who seals many of the deals and is only revealed near the end of the story as The Missionary’s lifelong companion and wife Evelyn.
“He summoned the Twelve, and began to send them out two by two…” (Mk 6:7)
Many Gospel writers have opined on why Jesus sent his missionaries out in twos. Here’s my four cents:
1. A physical companion out on a street helps the missionary feel less afraid in a firefight; someone he trusts has his back.
2. To a casual passerby, one person on a corner looking for Catholics could be a nut; two starts to look like a movement.
3. When one person starts feeling down and/or is ready to call it a day, the other can pick him up and get him back into the ring. They can support one another.
4. And finally, if every missionary inspired to do a mission dragged just one friend along with her, we’d have twice as many missionaries out on the streets! So bring a friend!
