I sort of hate checkboxes. At work, we have a quality control system with plenty of them. But I remind my team all the time that checking a box doesn’t necessarily mean we’ve done good engineering. We have to understand the intent and look at the bigger picture.

For some reason, that came to mind during prayer this morning.

St. Paul tells the Galatians that trying to be justified by the law alone separates them from the grace of Christ. Justification means being made right with God, being made holy through His grace. And Paul tells us what matters: “faith working through love.” (Galatians 5:6)

Then Jesus tells the Pharisees that they clean the outside of the cup while the inside remains full of evil.

That made me think about my own spiritual life.

Morning prayers? Check. Follow the Ten Commandments? Check. Go to Mass? Check.

But what about the intent? What about love?

The psalmist says he delights in God’s commandments. That’s important. Our prayers and the commandments are good things. They’re meant to help us grow closer to God and learn to love as He loves.

Even these reflections are tools. Writing them has helped me focus on Scripture in ways I never imagined. And I share them because I love you and hope they help you grow in holiness, too.

But I don’t want sharing them to become just another box to check. If it does, I pray I have the courage to stop.

So my prayer today is that God helps me remember the bigger picture. It’s not about how many boxes I check or how well I perform. It’s about faith working through love.

And ultimately, it’s about getting to heaven, and truly wanting that for everyone I encounter.

Are the things you do in your spiritual life helping you grow in love for God and others, or have they become just another checklist?

I pray you get the graces you need today.

Keep up the good fight.

I’m praying for you. Please pray for me.

Scripture: Galatians 5:1–6 | Psalm 119:41, 43–45, 47–48 | Luke 11:37–41