First Reading — Nehemiah 2:1-8
Rashi
On 2:1
of...Artaxerxes That was Darius, and because of his kingship he was called this.
wine before him They brought wine before the king in the court.
and I carried the wine And I carried the cup of wine and gave it to the king, and so is the custom, that the one who brings wine into the king’s court does not carry it and give it to the king, but the chief butler receives it from the hand of the one who brings it, and carries it and gives it to the king.
And I had never been sad in his presence And I was not accustomed to being sad in his presence, to have a sad face, but to be happy and cheerful, but now I was sad with a sad face.
On 2:2
You are not ill Is it not so that you are not ill?
This is nothing This incident is only wickedness of heart, that you have in your heart to put me to death by poisoning this cup.
And I became very frightened And I became very frightened about this, lest the king accuse me falsely.
On 2:3
Why should my countenance not be sad [as translated,] why should my countenance not be sad.
when the city Jerusalem, which is the place of the graves of my forefathers, is laid waste.
On 2:4
For what do you make request What do you request of me and I shall do it for you.
And I prayed And I said before the king in my prayer, “May it be Your will, O God of the heavens, that You fulfill my petition and my request.”
On 2:6
And the king said to me At the time the king spoke to me, his wife, the queen, was sitting beside him.
and the queen Heb. וְהַשֵּׁגָל, his wife the queen, as it is stated (Dan. 5:2): “...his queen (שֵּׁגְלָתֵהּ) and his concubine,” for it is customary for Scripture to write “the queen,” next to “the concubine”; his wives and his concubines, like (Song 6:9): “מְלָכוֹת וּפִּילַגְשִּׁים, queens and concubines. “
How long will your trip take When is it your intention to return?
and when will you return? When is it your intention to return?
and he sent me He gave me permission to go.
and I gave him a time I gave him a time of return.
On 2:7
may letters be given to me [Let] your scribes [give me letters] by your sanction and your knowledge, sealed with your signet to the governors of the land beyond the river, on the side of the land of Israel.
that they escort me through and escort me in peace.
until I come to Jerusalem, which is in the province of Judea.
On 2:8
And a letter to Asaph and that you send a letter to Asaph.
the guardian of the king’s orchard He was appointed over the king’s forests.
to make beams This is the intensive conjugation: to make ceilings and beams for the gates of the castles of the Temple Mount, for they had built the Temple as it should be built, but the gates of the walls of the Temple Mount and the wall for the court surrounding the Temple had not yet been built.
and for the wall of the city and to make beams for the wall of the city.
and for the house to which I shall go and to make a house in which I shall dwell for my needs.
and the king gave me all I asked him for.
according to the good hand according to the hand of the Holy One, blessed be He, which was good upon me, to cause me to succeed.
Responsorial Psalm — Psalm 137:1-2, 3, 4-5, 6
Methodius of Olympus
On 136:1–2
To continue with our subject, let us take in our hands and examine this psalm, which the pure and stainless souls sing to God, saying, "By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down; we wept, when we remembered Zion. We hanged our harps on the willows in the midst thereof," clearly giving the name of harps to their bodies, which they hung on the branches of chastity, fastening them to the wood that they might not be snatched away and dragged along again by the stream of incontinence. For Babylon, which is interpreted "disturbance" or "confusion," signifies this life around which the water flows, while we sit in the midst of the water that flows round us, as long as we are in the world, the rivers of evil always beating on us. Wherefore, also, we are always fearful, and we groan and cry with weeping to God, that our harps may not be snatched off by the waves of pleasure and slip down from the tree of chastity.
Gospel — Luke 9:57-62
Athanasius of Alexandria
On 9:57
(non occ.) He dared also to match himself with the incomprehensible power of the Saviour, saying, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest; for to follow the Saviour simply to hear His teaching is possible to human nature, as it directs itself towards men, but it is not possible to go with Him wherever He is; for He is incomprehensible, and is not confined by place.
On 9:57
Or herein our Lord teaches the greatness of His gift, as if He said, All created things may be confined by place, but the Word of God has incomprehensible power. Say not then, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest. But if thou wouldest be a disciple, cast off 1 foolish things, for it is impossible for him who remains in foolishness to become a disciple of the Word.