The book was released earlier this year by the late Brother Anthony Freeman LC, who passed away the night of Easter Sunday after serving at Mass celebrated by Pope Francis in St Peter’s Square. Photo: Supplied.
By Josh Low
Released in January this year, One Step Closer: 40 Doses of Motivation, Hacks, and Experiences to Share with Millennial Catholics is an inspiring and motivating book for anyone seeking to deepen their relationship with Jesus.
Written by the late Brother Anthony Freeman LC, who passed away at the age of 29 on the night of Easter Sunday having served at Mass celebrated by Pope Francis earlier that day, the book provides practical ways for one to keep moving that one step closer to the Lord.
Having lived and worked in six different countries, Br Anthony had a license in Anthropological Philosophy and was preparing himself for his ordination to the Diaconate while completing his final year of theological studies when he passed away due to a rare heart condition.
Full of fantastic practical steps to bring us closer to God and a life of holiness, One Step Closer is aimed at young people in the Church, but is a good read for all ages. Photo: Supplied.
The book is structured in such a way that one page contains a phrase or statement, which is then followed on the next one or two pages with a reflection on life as a Catholic.
Br Anthony’s conversational writing style makes the book an easy and unintimidating read, with each chapter encouraging the reader to reflect on various aspects of everyday life.
While the book is aimed at the millennial generation, the simplicity and clarity in which it is written, together with its honest and insightful motivation makes it well worth a read for all ages.
Before his passing, Br Anthony explained how the book came about via several posts on his Instagram account.
A screenshot shows Br Anthony Freeman discussing his book via Instagram. Photo: Screenshot/Instagram.
He said one of his Instagram followers asked him to explain and expand on the experiences and reflection behind the phrases he was posting.
“A couple of days later, a brother during class handed me a book of business slogans and he said, ‘Hey this is for you’.
“So I’m flipping through it and it’s got a business slogan on one side and an explanation of the slogan on the other side,” he said.
“This is the Wednesday before Ash Wednesday… so I said, you know what? Lent is coming up, if I do one for every day in Lent, that’s 40 and that will be enough.
“The idea was a bunch of small simple short reflections. You’ve got the phrase on one side… and the reflection is only one or two pages,” he said.
Full of fantastic practical steps to bring us closer to God and a life of holiness, this book is perfect for family and friends, and will give a unique insight into how one can truly discover God amidst the confusion of today’s culture.
Books are available for purchase from Amazon.com and Book Depository.
The Record is giving away three copies of the book One Step Closer: 40 Doses of Motivation, Hacks, and Experiences to Share with Millennial Catholics.
To win a copy, all you have to do is email us with your name, postal address and a contact number at therecord@therecord.com.au and tell us what motivates you in your faith journey.
Submissions close 1 June. Winners will be announced via email Friday 8 June.