St. Luke described Jesus sending out missionaries. “The Lord Jesus appointed seventy-two disciples whom he sent ahead of him in pairs.” Why in pairs? Wouldn’t a single missionary be able to cover more ground? Pope Gregory the Great suggested it was because a preacher must learn to practice charity before proclaiming the word. If you have a companion on the journey you will need to learn patience, forgiveness, compassion, empathy. When you are by yourself you might imagine your patient but having another person really tests that! Jesus wanted his disciples, as he wants us who are his disciples today, to give an example by the quality of their lives of the message he was bringing. Preach not only in words but by one’s life.
