Well, I wouldn't go so far as to say that the universe is meaningless in and of itself, as in asserting that as a fact, just that if there is some sort of objective purpose, I don't know what that might be. And since we can't seem to figure it out, it seems plausible that if it exists, it's hidden from us for some reason. So if there is a "higher purpose", it doesn't seem to include humans knowing what that purpose is.
Morality is a tricky one. I can't appeal to some sort of objective morality except in the sense that we all agree that there is a difference between right and wrong. It's deep down in the core of all of us. It can be explained by evolutionary theory, but as far as I can understand, religion doesn't have a better answer. If something is right because God said so, then it's not right in and of itself, it's just what happens to be God's will. It looks like at least some animals also have a sense of morality or justice.