The Gospel According to Matthew:
An Overview
The Gospel According to Matthew: An Overview is one book in 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. A sample of the Introduction and Lesson 1 will be posted in late 2027. The Gospel According to Matthew: An Overview will be available for purchase from our website shop in late summer 2028, about three months prior to the start of liturgical Year A on December 3, 2028, the First Sunday of Advent.
After this book in the study is written, be sure to check out our online study pages for additional commentary for each lesson. The online glossary for the Gospel According to Matthew will list every proper noun included in the biblical text—as well as some foreign words and phrases—and a separate online page will link 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 Matthew: An Overview. Other features include maps of the region showing what’s going geographically at the time of Jesus.
Lessons in The Gospel According to Matthew: An Overview are listed below; each lesson will be linked to its corresponding online study page. These pages will begin posting before the start of liturgical Year A in 2028.
Introduction What to Expect
Lesson 1 Wise Men from the East
Lesson 2 A Light Has Dawned
Lesson 3 Blessed Are You …
Lesson 4 The ‘Our Father’
Lesson 5 Ask, Seek & Knock
Lesson 6 The Storm on the Sea of Galilee
Lesson 7 The Call of Matthew
Lesson 8 Jesus Sends Out the Twelve
Lesson 9 A Comparison with John the Baptist
Lesson 10 The Scribes & Pharisees Seek a Sign
Lesson 11 Jesus Speaks in Parables
Lesson 12 Jesus Walks on Water
Lesson 13 Jesus Feeds Another Multitude
Lesson 14 Peter Identifies Jesus as the Son of God
Lesson 15 The Transfiguration
Lesson 16 Jesus Preaches Unlimited Forgiveness
Lesson 17 Who Can Enter the Kingdom of God?
Lesson 18 Laborers in the Vineyard
Lesson 19 A Question About Authority
Lesson 20 The Heavenly Banquet
Lesson 21 Jesus Denounces Hypocrisy
Lesson 22 Jesus Foretells an Apocalypse
Lesson 23 Details About the Final Judgment
Lesson 24 Jesus Celebrates the Passover
Lesson 25 The Arrest in Gethsemane
Lesson 26 The King of the Jews
Lesson 27 Jesus Is Crucified
Lesson 28 Jesus Is Risen!
check out all of our in-depth Catholic Bible studies
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- Sing a New Psalm: Communicating with God Through the Prayers of the Church—Volume I: Lauds & Vespers (2015)—a study of psalms prayed for Lauds and Vespers using The Abbey Psalms and Canticles translation prepared by the Benedictine monks at Conception Abbey and published by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). Read the online study page related to Lesson 1: Set a Guard on My Mouth. No videos accompany either volume of this Bible study. Both Volume I and Volume II have been granted an imprimatur. A revision of Volume I based on The Abbey Psalms and Canticles instead of The Revised Grail Psalms is available digitally; Volume II (based on The Abbey Psalms and Canticles) is available in hard copy.
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- Scripture & the Rosary: New Testament Mysteries, Old Testament Parallels (2012 revision; digital only)—a study of the biblical foundations of the Rosary in both the Old and New Testaments. This study has been converted to a digital version with the first six lessons available free year-round. The remaining 20 lessons, also free, alternate throughout the year based on the liturgical season (the Joyful Mysteries during Advent and the Christmas season, the Sorrowful Mysteries during Lent, the Glorious Mysteries during the Easter season, and the Luminous Mysteries during Ordinary Time). The study directory includes links to online study pages for posted lessons. No videos accompany this Bible study.
- Jesus’ Passion: The Story of Redemptive Suffering (2014 revision; digital only)—an in-depth explanation of the biblical accounts of Jesus’ Passion, death, and Resurrection. This Catholic Bible study, which has been granted an imprimatur, is based on Scripture and designed to be used with or without the film The Passion of the Christ. A free digital version of Jesus’ Passion: The Story of Redemptive Suffering is posted each year during Lent, along with related online study pages. No videos accompany this Bible study.