Turning to God’s Word study groups
Des Moines, Iowa

On Saturday mornings, Christ the King parish hosts a study to discuss the weekend Mass readings. An additional long-standing study group meets on Wednesday nights in a private home to discuss the book of Genesis.

• • • • The next meeting of the Saturday morning study at Christ the King will be at 9 a.m. on November 23 to discuss the weekend readings for the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe. All are welcome. This Bible study will not meet on Saturday, November 30, to accommodate people who are traveling over Thanksgiving weekend.
      • The private study group focusing on the book of Genesis will meet on Wednesday, November 20, to discuss Lesson 8 The Call of Abram. This Bible study will not meet on Wednesday, November 27, the night before Thanksgiving.

Sunday Mass Readings for November 24, the last Sunday of the Liturgical Year
This free study meets at 9 a.m. on Saturdays at Christ the King Catholic Church, 5711 Southwest 9th Street, to discuss the weekend Mass readings. The study is led by Jennifer Phelps (left) with occasional appearances by Matthew Phelps (right). Drop-ins and interested participants, including lectors and members of other parishes, are welcome to join us. The name of the Pastoral Center is painted on the side of the building, which ts toward the back of the main parish parking lot. Enter through the door on the same side of the Pastoral Center. That door is automatically unlocked for our group between 8:45 and 9:15 a.m.

At our meeting on November 23, our Saturday morning group will discuss Scripture passages for the readings for Sunday, November 24, 2024, when the Church will celebrate the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe:

the Book of Daniel 7:13–14
Psalm 93:1–2, 5
the book of Revelation 1:5–8
the Gospel According to John 18:33b–37

The above readings link to the website of the USCCB (United States Conference of Catholic Bishops). The same link to readings for November 24 can be found on the homepage of this website along with commentary by Matthew Phelps and a link to his most recent Lost in Translation, which this week is about son of man in the passage from the Book of Daniel. The readings for all of the Sunday masses are in the lector workbook as well as on the USCCB website. This link is to a USCCB audio recording of the readings for Sunday, November 24, 2024. Information on this page and on the Turning to God’s Word website homepage regularly updates on Mondays.

The following links are to paragraphs listed in the Index of Citations in the Catechism of the Catholic Church that cite passages from the readings for Sunday, November 24, 2024. There are no cited passages from Psalm 93:1–2, 5.

the Book of Daniel 7:13–14—paragraph 440
the Book of Daniel 7:13–14—paragraph 664
the book of Revelation 1:6—paragraphs 1546, 2855
the book of Revelation 1:8—paragraph 2854
the Gospel According to John 18:36—paragraphs 549, 600
the Gospel According to John 18:37—paragraphs 217, 559, 2471

GENESIS BIBLE STUDY
A couple of questions arose at the discussion of Lesson 6 The Great Flood & God’s Covenant with Noah. Matthew previously has addressed differences in how the words “God” and “LORD” (which appears in small capital letters in Turning to God’s Word printed books) are translated. His comments can be found in the Lost in Translation archive under Lord & God.

More information about the connection between the Old and New Testaments and types found in the Old Testament can be found in paragraphs 128 through 130 in the Catechism of the Catholic Church. The Catechism also contains a section specifically related to the sacrament of Baptism. It begins with paragraph 1213 and runs through paragraph 1284.

This Bible study group will not meet the weeks of Thanksgiving (Wednesday, November 27), Christmas, New Year’s, Ash Wednesday, or Holy Week. Inclement weather may require a change in the following schedule:

November 20—Lesson 8 The Call of Abram
November 27—NO CLASS, Thanksgiving Break
December 4—Lesson 9 Abram Questions the Lord GOD
December 11—Lesson 10 God’s Covenant with Abraham
December 18—Lesson 11 The Destruction of Sodom & Gomorrah
December  25—NO CLASS, Christmas Break
January 1, 2025—NO CLASS, New Year’s Break
January 8—Lesson 12 The Birth of Isaac
January 15—Lesson 13 God Tests Abraham
January 22, 2025—Lesson 14 Isaac & Rebekah
January 29, 2025—Lesson 15 The Brothers Esau & Jacob
February 5, 2025—Lesson 16 Isaac Blesses Jacob; Jacob’s Dream at Bethel
February 12, 2025—Lesson 17 Jacob & Rachel
February 19, 2025—Lesson 18 Jacob Separates from Laban
February 26, 12025—Lesson 19 Jacob Wrestles at Peniel
March 5, 2025—NO CLASS, Ash Wednesday
March 12, 2025—Lesson 20 The Story of Dinah
March 19, 2025—Lesson 21 The Birth of Benjamin & the Death of Rachel
March 26, 2025—Lesson 22 Joseph Is Sold into Slavery by His Brothers
April 2, 2025—Lesson 23 Judah & Tamar; Joseph & Potiphar’s Wife
April 9, 2025—Lesson 24 Joseph Interprets Dreams
April 16, 2025—NO CLASS Holy Week
April 23, 2025—Lesson 25 Joseph’s Brothers Travel to Egypt
April 30, 2025—Lesson 26 Joseph Discloses His Identity to His Brothers
May 7, 2025—Lesson 27 Thus Israel Dwelt in Egypt
May 14, 2025—Lesson 28 Jacob’s Final Words to His Sons