The Gospel According to Mark:
A Look at the Son of God

The Gospel According to Mark: A Look at the Son of God is part of a three-part Catholic Bible study that looks in-depth at the synoptic Gospels. Each book is designed to enhance the Catholic experience of liturgical Year A, B, or C while pointing out similarities and differences in the synoptic Gospels. This and the other two books in the study are being submitted to the Most Reverend William M. Joensen, Ph.D., bishop of the Diocese of Des Moines, for an imprimatur.

Authors are Jennifer McGaw Phelps and Matthew Phelps. Link here to see a sample of the Introduction and Lesson 1. The Gospel According to Mark: A Look at the Son of God will be available for purchase from our website shop in late summer 2026, about three months prior to the start of liturgical Year B on November 29, 2026, the First Sunday of Advent. Studies of the Gospel According to Luke and the Gospel According to Matthew will be available respectively before the beginning of liturgical Year C on November 28, 2027, and before liturgical Year A on December 3, 2028.

Check out our online study pages for additional commentary for each lesson. The online glossary for the Gospel According to Mark lists every proper noun included in the biblical text—as well as some foreign words and phrases—and a separate online page links to Revised Standard Version (Catholic Edition) cross references in the primary biblical text. Links to the online glossary and cross references will be accessible at the top of every online study page for The Gospel According to Mark: A Look at the Son of God. Other features include maps of the region showing what’s going on geographically and significant locations at the time of Jesus.

Lessons in The Gospel According to Mark: A Look at the Son of God are listed below; each is linked to its corresponding online study page. These pages will finish posting before the start of liturgical Year B.

Introduction What to Expect
Lesson 1 Jesus Christ: The Son of God
Lesson 2 The Son of Man Has Divine Authority
Lesson 3 Is Jesus Possessed?
Lesson 4 ‘Do You Understand This Parable?’
Lesson 5 Demons Are Legion
Lesson 6 The Death of John the Baptist
Lesson 7 ‘What Defiles Comes from Within’
Lesson 8 ‘But Who Do You Say That I Am?’
Lesson 9 The Transfiguration
Lesson 10 James & John Seek Glory
Lesson 11 Jesus Cleanses the Temple
Lesson 12 More Parables
Lesson 13 ‘What I Say to You I Say to All: Watch’
Lesson 14 The Institution of the Eucharist
Lesson 15 Jesus Is Betrayed & Condemned
Lesson 16 The Crucifixion
Lesson 17 Jesus Is Risen! Amen!


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