Turning to God’s Word study group
Des Moines, Iowa
Christ the King parish hosts a Bible study that meets on Saturday mornings to discuss the weekend readings. The next meeting will be Saturday, March 7. Here is a link to the readings for the Third Sunday in Lent, March 8. In the event that weather causes weather cancellations, notice will be posted here by 7:30 a.m. on Saturday mornings. Participants who feel threatened by weather or road conditions or who have health concerns are advised to err on the side of safety and stay home—whether the Bible study has been cancelled or not.
T
his free Bible study meets at the Pastoral Center at Christ the King Catholic Church, 5711 Southwest 9th Street. It’s 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 is toward the back of the main parish parking lot. Enter through the door on the same side as the sign painted on the building. That door is on a timer and automatically unlocks for our group between 8:45 and 9:15 a.m.; after that, it’s locked.
The following Mass readings are for Sunday, March 8, 2026. The links are to website of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB).
the book of Exodus 17:3–7
Psalm 95:1–2, 6–9
the Letter of Paul to the Romans 5:1–2, 5–8
the Gospel According to John 4:5–42
A link to the above readings will be posted from Monday, March 2, through Saturday, March 7, on the homepage of this website along with brief commentary by Matthew Phelps. In addition, a link to Matthew’s most recent Lost in Translation entry, which concerns time in the Gospel According to John, also will be posted there. Readings for the Sunday Masses are arranged by date in the lector workbooks and on the USCCB website. (The Church currently is in liturgical Year A, which means the majority of the Gospel readings will be from the Gospel According to Matthew. On the Third Sunday in Lent, when the first scrutiny is celebrated by those who are coming into the Church at Easter, the Gospel reading is taken from the Gospel According to John.) Information on the Turning to God’s Word website homepage updates on Mondays. This audio file of the Mass readings for Sunday, March 8, 2026, may assist lectors with pronunciation.
check out the Catechism
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, March 8, 2026.
the book of Exodus 17:2–7—paragraph 2119
Psalm 95:1–6—paragraph 2628
Psalm 95:7—paragraph 1165
Psalm 95:7–8—paragraph 2659
Psalm 95:9—paragraph 2119
the Letter of Paul to the Romans 5:5—paragraphs 368, 733, 1820, 1964, 2658
the Letter of Paul to the Romans 5:8—paragraph 604
the Gospel According to John 4:5–7—paragraph 544
the Gospel According to John 4:10—paragraphs 728, 2560, 2561
the Gospel According to John 4:10–14—paragraphs 694, 1137
the Gospel According to John 4:14—paragraphs 728, 1999, 2557, 2652
the Gospel According to John 4:21—paragraph 586
the Gospel According to John 4:22—paragraphs 528, 586
the Gospel According to John 4:23–24—paragraphs 586, 728
the Gospel According to John 4:24—paragraph 1179
the Gospel According to John 4:25–26—paragraph 439
the Gospel According to John 4:34—paragraphs 606, 2611, 2824
additional study aids for March 8 from Turning to God’s Word
Psalm 95 (the link is to the RSVCE translation) is covered in Lesson 1 He Who Sits in the Heavens Laughs and Lesson 15 Let Us Ring Out Our Joy to the LORD in Sing a New Psalm: Communicating with God Through the Prayers of the Church—Volume II: Vigils, Day Prayer & Compline. The beginning of the seventeenth chapter in the book of Exodus is covered in Lesson 14 Manna from Heaven & Water from the Rock in You Shall Have No Other Gods: The Book of Exodus. The Gospel reading is covered in Lesson 5 There Came a Woman from Samaria in The Gospel According to John: An Encounter with Grace & Truth. The Exodus and John online pages include links to related videos. At this time, there are no Turning to God’s Word studies based on the letters of Paul.
a private Lenten study
Each Lent, Turning to God’s word posts a free digital version of our popular Bible study, Jesus’ Passion: The Story of Redemptive Suffering. This Catholic study, which has received an imprimatur, is designed to stand alone or to accompany the film The Passion of the Christ, and works equally well either way. The study has been revised to include “Movie Notes,” which explain scenes that do not strictly follow the biblical text on which the film is based.
A small group has begun meeting on Friday mornings in a private home in Des Moines to discuss Jesus’ Passion: The Story of Redemptive Suffering. Although this group no longer is open, lessons for Jesus’ Passion: The Story of Redemptive Suffering remain available free online on this website during Lent. Links can be found on the online pages for the study. After Easter, Jesus’ Passion: The Story of Redemptive Suffering will not be available again until Lent of 2027.
March 6: Lesson 2 The Son of Man Before the Chief Priests
March 13: Lesson 3 What Is Truth?
March 20: Lesson 4 Via Dolorosa: The Way of Sorrows
March 28: Lesson 5 Crucifixion, Death & Resurrection
another extra for Lent
Lessons in Scripture & the Rosary: New Testament Mysteries, Old Testament Parallels covering the Sorrowful Mysteries also are available free during Lent. After Easter, those lessons will be replaced by lessons that focus on the Glorious Mysteries. Between Pentecost and the beginning of Advent, the Luminous Mysteries lessons will be posted, and lessons about the Joyful Mysteries will be posted through Advent and the Christmas season. The first six lessons in Scripture & the Rosary: New Testament Mysteries, Old Testament Parallels cover the Creed and Pope St. John Paul II’s Rosarium Virginis Mariae and are accessible year-round. All of the lessons in the Scripture & the Rosary Bible study have been granted an imprimatur.