“Without understanding our purpose, we’re really walking without vision,” he said. “And to walk without vision is to walk aimlessly.”
Freitas’ keys to seeking purpose in life include searching for your true self, being faithful, trusting in and surrendering worry to God, living a life of honour and believing and being open to who God wants you to be.
Freitas is author of Are We There Yet?, the latest book published by Catholic Register Books. It’s a practical guide that Freitas says demonstrates that despite the answer we seek not being as clear as we hope, finding our purpose is attainable if we are really willing to reach out for it. With the desire to help Catholics find their purpose, Freitas has brought together a collection of reflections on his life, Scripture and the history of the Church.
“The hardest step to seeking your purpose is surrendering the fact that God is the one that ultimately will have to guide you there,” he said.
“It’s not going to be about you, but it is actually about God and listening and learning what God’s will is for your life.”
As for Freitas’ purpose, he said he’s still on his way to discovering it fully. Ordained in the diocese of Hamilton, he’s been a priest for 15 years.
Originally from Kitchener, Ont., he’s currently the pastor at St. Mary the Visitation parish in Cambridge, Ont. It’s his parishioners to whom he has dedicated his book.
Are We There Yet? was actually born out of notes Freitas’ parishioners encouraged him to write for their Lenten book club tradition called breakfast and a book. Freitas writes about the role of other people in helping us seek our life’s purpose.
“I believe the Lord places people in our lives as beacons for us, almost like lighthouses that help guide us, that help lead us to where He wants us to be,” he said. “And if we live our lives with those three Rs in mind — with that rest, with that resolve, with that renewal — then we find ourselves beginning to live life in a state of discovery and discernment.”
Rest, resolve and renewal pop up in the book as opportunities to meditate.
“By resting and resolving on our actions, we can assess and evaluate whether or not we are on the right path that the Father has intended for us,” he said. “And then we resolve to choose and to make every choice that honours Him.”
When Freitas discovered his purpose, he experienced a change of spirit characterized by feeling more serene and at peace.
“I knew that ultimately it wasn’t what I want to be when I grow up. It’s what God wants me to be when I grow up, which is a huge difference,” he said.
“To understand the purpose of our life is to understand what God’s vision for us is as we strive to kind of arrive at the place where He wants us to be, which is ultimately with Him in heaven.”
To purchase Are We There Yet?, call (416) 934-3410 or visit www.catholicregister.org/books.