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 Bible study will be Saturday, August 22. Here is a link to the website of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) post of the readings for the Tweny-First Sunday in Ordinary Time on August 23.
In the event that weather causes cancellations for the Bible study, 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, the building is locked.
The following Mass readings are for Sunday, August 23 2026.
the Book of Isaiah 22:19–23
Psalm 138:1–3, 6, 8
the Letter of Paul to the Romans 11:33–36
the Gospel According to Matthew 16:13–20
A link to the above readings will be posted from Monday, August 17, until Sunday, August 23, on the homepage of this website along with brief commentary by Matthew Phelps. A link to Matthew’s current Lost in Translation entry, rock, also is posted. 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.) Information on the Turning to God’s Word website homepage updates on Mondays. The following audio file is for the Sunday Mass readings for August 23, 2026.
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 the Twenty-First Sunday in Ordinary Time on August 23. There are no Catechism paragraphs that cite the Book of Isaiah 22:19–23 or that cite the Letter of Paul to the Romans 11:33–36.
Psalm 138—paragraph 304
Psalm 138:2—paragraph 214
the Gospel According to Matthew 16:16—paragraphs 424, 442
the Gospel According to Matthew 16:16–23—paragraph 440
the Gospel According to Matthew 16:17—paragraphs 153, 442
the Gospel According to Matthew 16:18—paragraphs 424, 442, 552, 586, 869
the Gospel According to Matthew 16:18–19—paragraph 881
the Gospel According to Matthew 16:19—paragraphs 553, 1444
related material from Turning to God’s Word
Psalm 138 is covered in Lesson 23 O Give Thanks to the LORD in Sing a New Psalm: Communicating with God Through the Prayers of the Church—Volume I: Lauds & Vespers. At this time there are no Turning to God’s Word Bible studies of the Letters of Paul or the Gospel According to Matthew, and the Book of Isaiah 22:19-23 is not addressed in either volume of Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks to His Servants the Prophets. There are no lesson videos with either volume of the Psalms study.
another extra
Lessons in Scripture & the Rosary: New Testament Mysteries, Old Testament Parallels covering the 
Luminous Mysteries were posted at the end of the Easter season. These now include art by Tami Palladino, one of the co-founders of Turning to God’s Word, depicting Old and New Testament passages that pertain to the Luminous Mysteries. Lessons about the Luminous Mysteries will be posted until the beginning of Advent this year, and lessons about the Joyful Mysteries then 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.
coming soon—a study of the Gospel According to Mark
Just in time for the beginning of the Catholic liturgical Year B, Turning to God’s Word plans to release the first of three studies that examine the content of the individual synoptic Gospels as well as similarities and differences. You can learn more by reading a sample that features the introduction and first lesson in The Gospel According to Mark: A Look at the Son of God. The online directory for the study includes a link to the sample as well as other relevant study materials. The study has been granted an imprimatur and nihil obstat from the Diocese of Des Moines. Free accompanying videos will begin posting online before the end of the current liturgical year A in late September, 2026. Studies on the Gospel According to Luke and the Gospel According to Matthew will follow in time for Year C (2027–2028) and Year A (2028–2029), respectively.
A study of The Gospel According to Mark: A Look at the Son of God will meet in a private home in Des Moines beginning September 23.