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Purpose, by John Carberry

Purpose is derived from the Anglo-French purposer meaning to intend or the Latin proponere
meaning to propose. Synonyms for purpose include aim, intention, goal, reason, objective and
function. It is basically the reason or intention for what is done. For many in religion, our
purpose is our reason for existing in the eyes of God or in our own eyes. If we study philosophy,
or the love of wisdom1, we study reasons for the existence of things, especially human beings.
The study often becomes a lifelong thirst to answer the question why as in why do I exist? Saint
Peter summarizes what our response should be: “Always be ready to give an explanation to
anyone who asks you for a reason for your hope…” (1 Pt 3:15).

In philosophy, the sensitive part of the soul includes a rational and irrational component for
human beings.2 The rational component is what distinguishes us from animals. Whereas both
animals and humans have appetites, only humans share with angels the ability to reason, likening
us to the divine. Reason is considered the greater and appetite is the lesser component. Whereas
the appetites (the irascible appetite wards off and repels what is hurtful and the concupiscible
appetite seeks what is pleasant to the senses)3 are implanted in children, reason and
understanding develop as one grows older.4 The components of reason, or the rational aspect of
the human soul, are the rational principle itself (intellect) and the ability to obey the rational
principle (will). In the world of both nature and art, the lesser or inferior exists for the sake of
the better or the superior, and the better is that which has rational principle.5

Purpose therefore drives our intellect to reason our own existence, as well as why God created us,
what plans he has in store for us, and how we view the moral order (what is good and what is
evil). The intellect is to reason as the will is to free choice.6 The intellect is the highest, noblest,
and purest part of the soul, and the most like God.7 The spirit makes us share with the order of
angels, since we are composed of both body and spirit.8 The intellect, whose object is the truth,
understands that it understands.9 Saint Thomas Aquinas divides the intellect into contemplative
and active. The end of the contemplative intellect is the knowledge itself of truth, while the end
of the practical or active intellect is some external action.10 What moves to the exercise of that
action belongs to the will, which moves all the other powers, even the intellect, to their actions.11
Good and evil are essential differences of the act of the will just as truth and falsehood pertain to
reason.12 The goodness of the will depends on how it conforms to the Divine will, “…not what I
want, but what you want” (Mt 26:39, Ps 40:8, Heb 10:7).13 The will is nothing more than to be
inclined to the object of the will, which is universal good.14 The will cannot act until it is
enlightened by the knowledge possessed by the intellect.15 God alone can change the will (Prv
21:1).16 The will has the power to follow the passions or to repress them.17 Choice is the power
of the will. The rational aspect of the soul (reason) must overcome the irrational aspect
(appetite).18 To Aristotle, the causes of wrongdoing are vice (or faults) and lack of self-control.19
Noble argument and teaching cultivate the soul of the student as earth nourishes the seed. Most
people obey necessity rather than argument and punishments rather than a sense of what is
noble.20 The rule of the soul over the body and the mind and rational element over the
passionate is natural and expedient.21

Morality is the rational ordering of the human act to the good in its truth and the voluntary
pursuit of that good, known by reason.22 Voluntariness is essential to sin.23 The Church’s
Magisterium intervenes not only in matters of faith, but also in the sphere of morals.24 The
morality of the human act depends primarily and fundamentally on the object rationally chosen
by the human will. Certain behavior is always wrong to choose because choosing it involves a
disorder of the will, because it is a moral evil.25 It is not licit to do evil that good may come of it
(Rom 3:8).

With this background, we can begin to see why our purpose is the essential driving force for our
actions and inactions. It is the reason for our existence and the reason for choosing right from
wrong. The Baltimore Catechism begins with the question: Why did God make us? It answers:
to know, love and serve God in this world so that we may be with him in heaven.26 The
Catechism of the Catholic Church has similar language.27 With this reasoning, we must first
seek out knowledge of God as well as his moral rules. To love him means that our heart agrees
with these truths of the Church. Serving God implies obedience to these rules.

Let’s look at the Ten Commandments and see whether we can isolate a reason or purpose for
each one.

1) Do not have false gods before me (Ex 20:2-6, Dt 5:6-10). A god is anything that we consider
good, that we place worth or value in. When we worship something, we consider it worth more
than other things. For the true God, we worship, place worth and value on the one who alone is
good (Mt 19:17, Mk 10:18, Lk 18:19, Dt 32:4). The vertical aspect of our faith directs us to put
God above all else, to respect and adore him as truth, goodness, justice and love. We do this by
humbly recognizing our lowliness and God’s greatness, our own dependency and God’s
omnipotence.

2) Do not take the Lord’s name in vain (Ex 20:7, Dt 5:11). Similar to the command not to
worship false gods is the command to not take the Lord’s name in vain. Vain means useless, idle
or worthless. When we take the Lord’s name in vain, we fail to give his name value, meaning or
purpose. If the Lord and all that is associated with him is holy, we must set him apart from the
profane (outside the temple), offer him respect, look up to him and humble ourselves. We
therefore set apart God and all that is holy by recognizing God’s superiority and our own
humility and inferiority.

3) Keep the sabbath day holy (Ex 20:8-11, Dt 5:12-15). Just as God rested after creating the
universe, both seen and unseen, we are asked to take one day off in seven to reflect on the good
things that God has given us. Before Christ, we celebrated God’s physical creation. After Christ,
we celebrate our new spiritual creation, eternal life and union with Christ. We acknowledge
Christ at Sunday Mass and give thanks for all that he has done for us.

4) Honor your father and mother (Ex 20:12, Dt 5:16). Considering the freedom that God has
given us, most of us do not take kindly to being ordered around. And yet, obedience to authority
is at the heart of the Fourth Commandment. We obey and honor the ones who are holier, more
knowing, and wiser than ourselves, the priests, prophets and kings. In childhood, that means our
father and mother. As adults, we obey the Church leaders and civil authorities (Rm 13:1-7, Ti
3:1, 1 Pt 2:13-17, Dn 2:37-38, Mt 22:21, Mk 12:17, Lk 20:25, Jn 19:11, 2 Chr 36:23, Ezr 1:2, Sir
4:7, 10:4-5). However, when a conflict between the law of God and the law of the state arises,
one must prioritize the law of God. “We must obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29, 4:19, 1
Thes 2:4, 1 Mc 2:19-22, 2 Mc 7:30, Dn 3:95).28 As the Chosen People grew large during their
400 years in Egypt, they began to look more like a nation than a family. God sends Moses to
Pharaoh to lead the Israelites out of Egypt, assisted by his brother Aaron (Ex 3:10, 4:14-16).
While it is God who is actually leading them (1 Sm 8:7), Moses and Aaron interpret God’s
commands and speak to the Israelites on behalf of God. This leadership role foreshadows the
role of the Church and the leadership of Peter after Christ’s coming. The Israelites must obey
Moses and the later prophets (Dt 17:12, 21:5, Sir 7:29-31, Jer 26:12, Ez 3:7, 33:31-33). This is
demonstrated by punishments to those who chose to go their own way such as Moses’ sister,
Mariam (Nm 12:1-16), and the rebel, Korah (Nm 16:1-35). Christ points out that this leadership
role has continued by those in the Sanhedrin (supreme rabbinical court) during his day when he
tells his disciples to obey the scribes and Pharisees because they sit on the chair of Moses (Mt
23:2). However, Christ establishes new leadership in his Church through Peter and the apostles.
What they bind on earth shall be bound in heaven and what they loose on earth shall be loosed in
heaven (Mt 16:17-19, 18:18). When the people hear these leaders, they hear Christ (Mt 10:14-15,
40-41, Lk 10:16, Jn 13:20). Some of the Magisterium’s teachings can be infallible, requiring the
obedience of faith, whereas others are the exercise of the ordinary teachings, requiring one to
adhere to it with religious assent.29

5) Do not kill (Ex 20:13, Dt 5:17). We can reason that God is referring to human life, not plant
or animal life when he tells us not to kill since he gave us dominion over plant and animal life,
but not over human life (Gn 9:3-7). Human life is precious in the eyes of God. That is why God
looks at the creation of humanity as very good (Gn 1:31), while his other creation was looked on
only as good (Gn 1:4, 10-12, 18, 21, 25, 1 Tm 4:4-5). Humanity was created in God’s image and
likeness (Gn 1:26-27, 5:1, 9:6, 1 Cor 11:7, 2 Cor 3:18, Col 3:10, Jas 3:9). We therefore look to
human creation or generation, our sɛҳuąƖity, as a carrying out of God’s dictate to be fruitful and
multiply (Gn 1:28, 9:1, 7, 35:11, Jer 3:16). It is the means of cooperating with God in his
creative process (Gn 4:1). Any frustration of the process can be deadly to the soul (Gn 38:8-10),
like the barren fruit tree that is cursed by Christ and dies (Mt 21:18-22, 3:10, Mk 11:12-14).
Since God is the author of life (Acts 3:15), the destruction of life at any stage is a sin against the
Fifth Commandment, whether abortion, euthanasia, or more indirectly, war or the death penalty.

6) Do not commit adultery (Ex 20:14, Dt 5:18). Since God is love, he created us out of love.
Marriage is like our relationship with God: eternal, committed, exclusive, voluntary, and lifegenerating.
The triune family relationship of father, mother and child reflects the Holy Trinity:
Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The sacred sacrament is ordered to two purposes: 1) the unity of the
spouses in Christian love and mutual support and 2) the begetting and education of children.30
Christians should conform to this divine plan.31 Since the purpose of sɛҳuąƖity is the generation
of children, formed and created out of love between the two spouses, any infringement of this
exclusivity corrupts this triune family relationship just as worship of false gods corrupts our
relationship with God. For this reason, we seek out a mate that will help us get to heaven, one
who is in union with Christ and all that his Church teaches.

7) Do not steal (Ex 20:15, Dt 5:19). Why has God distributed time, talent and treasure in unlike
measures? We are told that we must not take what is not ours. At the same time, since God is
the source, we must share our time with the lonely, the imprisoned, and the hospitalized. We
must share our talents with the ignorant, the lowly, and the unskilled. Finally, we must share our
treasures with the poor, the hungry, and the homeless. This sharing of material possessions and
skills are the ways that we show love for our neighbor and ultimately determines how we will be
judged by God (Mt 25:31-46).

8) Do not bear false witness against your neighbor (Ex 20:16, Dt 5:20). If Jesus is truth (Jn 14:6),
we must reflect the truth in all that we do, whether it be in faith or in morals. We spread the truth
in faith in how we speak about God. We further truth in morals when we are obedient to the
moral laws of God. Silence is not necessarily the answer to avoiding deceit. Do not stand idly
by when your neighbor’s life is at stake (Lv 19:16, Prv 31:8-9, Sir 4:23-24, Ps 142:5). We
sometimes have a duty to speak out, like when Daniel spoke out against Suzanna’s accusers
when he felt that she had been unfairly sentenced (Dn 13:45-46).

9 and 10) Do not covet your neighbor’s wife or your neighbor’s goods (Ex 20:17, Dt 5:21). The
last two commandments speak to the heart rather than the will. They address improper desires
and intentions such as for illicit relationships (lust) and improper wants (materialism). Looking
on a woman with lust is committing adultery in one’s heart (Mt 5:27-30). Love of money is the
root of all evil (1 Tm 6:9-10, Sir 27:1, 31:5). You cannot serve God and mammon (Mt 6:24).

“To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven” (Eccl 3:1, KJV).
God is not without purpose or reason. Saint Pope John Paul II says that we are called to search
out that reason: “Faith and reason are like two wings on which the human spirit rises to the
contemplation of truth; and God has placed in the human heart a desire to know the truth—in a
word, to know himself—so that, by knowing and loving God, men and women may also come to
the fullness of truth about themselves (cf. Ex 33:18; Ps 27:8-9; 63:2-3; Jn 14:8; 1 Jn 3:2).”32 Our
purpose must conform to God’s will (Mt 6:10). It should drive all of our actions, and be our
reason for living. It is to know, love and serve God in this world so that we can be with him in
the next. To know God, we must know truth, goodness, justice and love with our intellect. To
love God, we must desire them in our heart. To serve God, we must choose with the will to
practice them through our actions (Lk 11:29). Our knowledge of God’s purpose requires an
active seeking. When we understand God’s purpose, we are more likely to love and accept it.
Our choice of the good (God’s purpose) may differ from our wants (appetites), but we must
choose the greater good, what is right (Gal 5:17). The reason for preferring our wants is often
when we prioritize our self-interests (selfishness) over the interests of others (selflessness). The
Commandments of God are the details of truth, goodness, justice and love. When we obey the
commandments, we show our love for God (Jn 14:15, 15:10, Dt 6:4-9, Ws 6:17-18, 1 Jn 5:3, 2 Jn
1:6). We practice them in season, a time to every purpose under heaven.

John Carberry is the author of Parables: Catholic Apologetics Through Sacred Scripture (2003)
and Sacraments: Signs, Symbols and Significance (2023).

1 John Paul II, Fides Et Ratio (Faith and Reason), [an Encyclical on the Relationship Between Faith and Reason], Vatican City: Libreria Editrice
Vaticana, 1998), 3.
2 Aristotle, De Anima (On the Soul), III, 9, The Basic Works of Aristotle, p. 596.
3 Aquinas, Thomas, Summa Theologica, I, Q52, A5.
4 Aristotle, Politica (Politics)¸ VII, 15, The Basic Works of Aristotle, p. 1300.
5 Aristotle, Politica (Politics)¸ VII, 14, The Basic Works of Aristotle, p. 1297. Aquinas, Thomas, Summa Theologica, I, Q95, A1.
6 Aquinas, Thomas, Summa Theologica, I, Q83, A4.
7 Aquinas, Thomas, Summa Theologica, III, Q6, A2.
8 CCC, 327 & 382. Vatican Council II, Gaudium et Spes (Joy and Hope), 14.
9 Aquinas, Thomas, Summa Theologica, II, II, Q25, A2.
10 Aquinas, Thomas, Summa Theologica, II, II, Q179, A2.
11 Aquinas, Thomas, Summa Theologica, II, I, Q9, A1 & II, II, Q180, A1.
12 Aquinas, Thomas, Summa Theologica, II, I, Q19, A1.
13 Aquinas, Thomas, Summa Theologica, II, I, Q19, A9C.
14 Aquinas, Thomas, Summa Theologica, I, Q105, A4 & II, II, Q25, A2.
15 Leo XIII, Libertas (Liberty), 5.
16 Aquinas, Thomas, Summa Theologica, I, Q111, A2.
17 Aquinas, Thomas, Summa Theologica, I, Q115, A4. CCC, 1767.
18 Aristotle, Politica (Politics)¸ VII, 15, The Basic Works of Aristotle, p. 1300.
19 Aristotle, Rhetorica (Rhetoric), I, 9. The Basic Works of Aristotle, p. 1359.
20 Aristotle, Ethica Nicomachea (Nicomachean Ethics), X, 9, The Basic Works of Aristotle, p. 1109. CCC, 2266.
21 Aristotle, Politica (Politics)¸ I, 5, The Basic Works of Aristotle, p. 1132.
22 John Paul II, Veritatis Splendor (The Splendor of Truth), 72.
23 Aquinas, Thomas, Summa Theologica, II, I, Q71, A5.
24 John Paul II, Veritatis Splendor (The Splendor of Truth), 110. CCC, 2032-2036 & 2049.
25 John Paul II, Veritatis Splendor (The Splendor of Truth), 78.
26 CDF, Saint Joseph Baltimore Catechism.
27 CCC, 1, 358, 1721.
28 CCC, 450, 2256 & 2372. Leo XIII, Libertas (Liberty), 13.
29 Vatican Council II, Lumen Gentium (Light of Nations), 25. CCC, 889-892.
30 Pius XI, Casti Connubii (Chaste Wedlock), 5 & 80. Vatican Council II, Gaudium et Spes (Joy and Hope), 48. CCC, 1601, 1660, 2201, 2249, 2252,
2363, 2366 & 2369.
31 Pius XI, Casti Connubii (Chaste Wedlock), 96.
32 John Paul II, Fides Et Ratio (Faith and Reason), Introduction.