Daily Bible Readings Commentary October 3 2007 Wednesday 26th Week Ordinary Time.

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October 3 2007 Wednesday 26^th Week Ordinary Time.

About the sources used.

The readings on this site are not official for the Mass of Roman Catholic Church, but are from sources free from copyright. They are here to present the comparable readings alongside traditional Catholic commentary as published in the Haydock Bible.

Official Readings of the Liturgy at – http://www.usccb.org/nab/100307.shtml – Note. The Official Liturgical readings may not match the current NAB you may have.

II Esdras 2:1-8 (Nehemias or Nehemiah 2:1-8)

1 And it came to pass in the month of Nisan, in the twentieth year of Artaxerxes the king: that wine was before him, and I took up the wine, and gave it to the king: and I was as one languishing away before his face.
2 And the king said to me: Why is thy countenance sad, seeing thou dost not appear to be sick? this is not without cause, but some evil, I know not what, is in thy heart. And I was seized with an exceeding great fear:
3 And I said to the king: O king, live for ever: why should not my countenance be sorrowful, seeing the city of the place of the sepulchres of my fathers is desolate, and the gates thereof are burnt with fire?
4 Then the king said to me: For what dost thou make request? And I prayed to the God of heaven,
5 And I said to the king: If it seem good to the king, and if thy servant hath found favour in thy sight, that thou wouldst send me into Judea to the city of the sepulchre of my father, and I will build it.
6 And the king said to me, and the queen that sat by him: For how long shall thy journey be, and when wilt thou return? And it pleased the king, and he sent me: and I fixed him a time.
7 And I said to the king: If it seem good to the king, let him give me letters to the governors of the country beyond the river, that they convey me over, till I come into Judea:
8 And a letter to Asaph the keeper of the king’s forest, to give me timber that I may cover the gates of the tower of the house, and the walls of the city, and the house that I shall enter into. And the king gave me according to the good hand of my God with me.

Haydock Commentary Nehemiah 2:1-8

• Ver. 1. Year. It seems the Persians began the year with Tizri, since both Casleu (the third) and Nisan (the seventh month of the civil year) fall on the twentieth of the king.—Wine. These kings drunk only that of Syria. Strabo xv.—People of distinction were appointed cup-bearers; and even the children of kings did not esteem the office beneath them. Herod. iii. S4. Athen. x. 6. Homer, &c. C.—I was. Prot. “I had not been before-time sad in his presence.” H.—Heb. lit. “I was not evil.” Sept. “an enemy, or stranger.” Arab. “disagreeable.” Syr. “sorrowful.” Sept. also, “there was not another present,” C. v. 6. S. Jerome seems not to have read the negation. H.
• Ver. 2. Is not. Heb. “nothing but sorrow of heart;” (Syr. C. Prot.) or rather, thou art meditating only treason. Sept. “This is nothing but wickedness of heart,” (H.) which often shews itself on the countenance. The king might suspect that he was giving him poison. M.—Hence Nehemias feared, (C.) dreading such suspicions, (H.) and aware lest the company might frustrate his good design, as contrary to the interests of the crown. T.
• Ver. 3. Live; an usual salutation. Dan. iii. 9. and v. 10. So Ǽlian (var. i. 32.) says, “O king Artaxerxes, mayst thou reign for ever.”—Father, v. 5. He knew that the Persians shewed great regard to the dead, (C. T.) whose bodies they sometimes cover with wax, and keep in their house, (Cic. Tusc. i. Alex. Genial iii. 2.) or inter. Herod. i. 140.
• Ver. 4. Heaven, with a fervent ejaculation, in secret, (T.) to touch the king’s heart, (C.) and to enable me to speak in a proper manner. M.
• Ver. 6. And, &c. In private the queen might dine with her husband, but not in public. Est. i. C.—Queen; probably Esther, if she were married to this king. M.—But this is uncertain. H.—Usher thinks it was Damaspia, mentioned by Ctesias. C.—Time, when I should return. Some say a year (T.) or two afterwards but it is generally believed that he begged to be absent twelve years. He then waited on the king eight or ten years, and returned into Judea towards the end of the reign of Artaxerxes. C. xiii. 6. C.—He perhaps asked permission to visit Jerusalem for only a short period, at first, but his presence being deemed necessary, he was permitted to continue there as governor full twelve years. M.
• Ver. 7. Over; give me a guard, (H.) or accompany me to Jerusalem. M.
• Ver. 8. Forest. Heb. pordes, “paradise,” or garden planted with trees. Pliny (v. 23.) mentions a “paradise,” in Cœlosyria. Grot.—But Nehemias might petition to be supplied with cedars from Libanus, (T.) as they had been given for the temple. 1 Esd. iii. 7. H.—Tower. Heb. bira, means also “a palace or temple.” It may designate the porch of the temple, which was 120 cubits high; (2 Par. iii. 4. C.) though that had been lately repaired by Esdras. M.—Others think the doors of the courts are meant, as they were as strong as those of towers. Vatab.—They were not yet finished. C. x. 9. Many believe that (C.) Nehemiah speaks of the royal palace, which had been almost contiguous to the temple, (M.) where he intended to build one for himself, while he should reside in the city. T.—But this might give umbrage to the king. C.—He could not, however, intend his favourite to remain without a suitable palace; and the latter seems to have designed not only to repair that which Solomon had founded, but also to erect another house for the governor. H.—Good hand; favour, (M.) and powerful aid. H.

Luke 9:57-62
Haydock New Testament

57 And it came to pass as they walked in the way, that a certain man said to him:

I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest.

58 Jesus said to him:

The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air, nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.

59 But he said to another:

Follow me.

And he said:

Lord, suffer me first to go, and to bury my father.

60 And Jesus said to him:

Let the dead bury their dead: but go thou, and preach the kingdom of God.

Haydock Commentary Luke 9:57-60

• Ver. 57. Follow thee, &c. Although the Sovereign Lord of all is most munificent, yet he does not lavish his gifts on all without distinction, but bestows them on the worthy only. When, therefore, this man offered to follow Christ, he answers him by telling him, that all who follow him, must daily take up their cross, and renounce the conveniences of this life. Thus he mentions what was reprehensible in his person. There appears likewise great presumption in his conduct, as he did not petition to be admitted, as other Jews did, but seems to claim the honour of the apostleship; an honour which none must assume, but such are called by God. Heb. v. S. Cyril in Divo Thoma.
• Ver. 60. Bury their dead, &c. Though this was an act of religion, yet it was not permitted him; that we may learn to prefer always the concerns of God to all human considerations. S. Ambrose.—However necessary this might appear, however easy, however short the time which it would take up, might be, it is not permitted him. Not the least delay can be allowed, although a thousand impediments stand in the way; for spiritual things must be preferred to things even the most necessary. Chrys. hom. xxviii. on S. Matt.