• 4/3 – Matthew 18:1-35 – Do I owe forgiveness to someone around me? Prayer starter: Gracious and merciful God, I thank you for the many times you have forgiven me. Deliver me from any wish for vindication and given me a forgiving heart.
• 4/4 – Matthew 19:1-15 – Do I think of marriage first in terms of lawfulness or in terms of human love being sacred? Prayer starter: Lord God, you have blessed human love and made it a sacrament of your love for humankind. Help us to live up to such a great ideal.
• 4/5 – Matthew 19:16-30 – Which earthly possessions still keep me from following Jesus and how could I better use them for the poor? Prayer starter: Good Lord, it is not up to us to decide what is good and what is not. Teach us to trust in your goodness and not in our possessions, and help us to share them so as to come closer to you.
• 4/6 – Matthew 20:1-16 – Can l truly appreciate God’s generosity not only for me but also for others? Prayer starter: God of justice and kindness, let me respond to your call not for the sake of some reward but out of gratitude for being found worthy of working in your vineyard.
• 4/7 – Matthew 20:17-34 – How can I convert any thirst of mine for power in the community to a true and unselfish spirit of service? Prayer starter: Why is it, Lord, that we are so anxious about our status among the community and in the kingdom? Change our minds and hearts so that we take pride in being servants to one another.
• 4/8 – Matthew 21:1-22 – Does my everyday living confirm the acclamations of Christ I make in worship? Prayer starter: It’s easy, Lord, to go with the crowd and to acclaim you as “the one who comes in the name of the Lord.” Give us the strength to still acclaim you when the same crowd calls for your crucifixion.
• 4/9 – Matthew 21:23-32 – Do I walk the way I talk? Prayer starter: Lord Jesus, you speak the words of eternal life. Do not allow these words to remain idle in my life and help me to do the Father’s will by putting them into practice.