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, May 16. Here is a link to the readings for the Ascension on Sunday, May 17. In the event that weather causes 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. 

This 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 door is locked.

The following Mass readings are for the Ascension, which most U.S. dioceses celebrate on Sunday, May 17. The links are to the website of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), which also posts alternative readings for Sunday, May 17.

Acts of the Apostles 1:1–11
Psalm 47:2–3, 6–9
the Letter of Paul to the Ephesians 1:17–23
the Gospel According to Matthew 28:16–20

A link to the above readings will be posted from Monday, May 11, until Saturday, May 16, on the homepage of this website along with brief commentary by Matthew Phelps. A link to Matthew’s most recent Lost in Translation entry, Assension, also is posted then. 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. This audio file of the Mass readings for the Ascension on Sunday, May 17, 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 the Ascension on Sunday, May 17, 2026. There are no paragraphs cited in the Catechism that refer to Psalm 47.

Acts of the Apostles 1:1–2—paragraph 512
Acts of the Apostles 1:3—paragraph 659
Acts of the Apostles 1:6–7—paragraph 672
Acts of the Apostles 1:7—paragraphs 474, 673
Acts of the Apostles 1:8—paragraphs 672, 730, 735, 857, 1287 
Acts of the Apostles 1:9—paragraphs 659, 697
Acts of the Apostles 1:10–11—paragraph 333
Acts of the Apostles 1:11—paragraph 665
the Letter of Paul to the Ephesians 1:16–23—paragraph 2632
the Letter of Paul to the Ephesians 1:18—paragraph 158
the Letter of Paul to the Ephesians 1:19–22—paragraphs 272,  648
the Letter of Paul to the Ephesians 1:20–22—paragraph 668
the Letter of Paul to the Ephesians 1:22—paragraphs 669, 753, 2045
the Letter of Paul to the Ephesians 1:22–23—paragraph 830
the Gospel According to Matthew 28:16–17—paragraph 645
the Gospel According to Matthew 28:16–20—paragraphs 857, 1444
the Gospel According to Matthew 28:17—paragraph 644
the Gospel According to Matthew 28:18–20—paragraph 1120
the Gospel According to Matthew 28:19—paragraphs 189, 232, 543, 691, 730, 831, 1122,  2156
the Gospel According to Matthew 28:19–20—paragraphs 2, 767, 849, 1223, 1257, 1276
the Gospel According to Matthew 28:20—paragraphs 80, 788, 860, 2743

additional study aids for May 3 from Turning to God’s Word 
Psalm 47 (the link is to the RSVCE translation) is covered in Lesson 8 Seeing in God’s Light in Sing a New Psalm: Communicating with God Through the Prayers of the Church—Volume I: Lauds & Vespers. There are no videos with either volume of the psalms study, and there currently are no studies of Acts of the Apostles, the Letter of Paul to the Ephesians, or the Gospel According to Matthew.

another extra
Lessons in Scripture & the Rosary: New Testament Mysteries, Old Testament Parallels covering the Glorious Mysteries are available free during the Easter season. Between Pentecost and the beginning of Advent, lesson on the Luminous Mysteries 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.