Ending well

Fr. Roy  Cimagala

WE just put another year to a close, and we had to remind ourselves that we have the duty to end things well. Whatever we begin, we should end well, putting the last stone and the finishing touches, and inspired always by the ultimate of motivations.

We should avoid unfinished projects, unless they are projects that should not be completed. But otherwise, we should not be good only at the beginning. We have to be good also, if not better, at the ending.

This ideal can be attained if we ground this value of ending well on God. Of him, St. Paul once said: “He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” (Phil 1,6)

Make no mistake about it. Everything that is meant by “ending well” is derived from God and referred to him who is the Alpha and the Omega. Outside of him, nothing begins nor ends well.

To be sure, “ending well” is not only a matter of technical perfection, or the attainment of a purely human and worldly goal, no matter how legitimate in itself. These latter standards of ending well only have a relative value, and cannot stand on their own unless rooted on an absolute foundation which can only be God.

It’s when everything we do actually gives glory to God which is the purpose of our creation that we can safely say that we are ending things well. And giving glory to God is a matter of obeying God’s will and ways in full freedom and out of pure love. It has to reflect that state where in the story of the creation, God is said to rest in full communion with his creation on the seventh day.

That is how we give glory to God. That is how we ought to end things—resting in God in full communion. If we do not meet this standard by the end of the day, or of the week, month, year or life itself, then we have failed to end things well.

Of course, ending things well will require training and perseverance. That is why we need to develop a practical sense of the end and ultimate purpose of our life. This is unavoidable and indispensable. Even in our ordinary affairs, we take it for granted that we ought to have some idea of the end or purpose in mind before we move.

When we travel, for example, we first identify the destination, and then from there prepare ourselves accordingly—what to bring, how to dress, etc. A student, reviewing for an exam, would try to figure out the likely points that would come out, and from there start to plan his study.

The end gives us a global picture and sheds light on the present. It guides us and tells us what and when to correct when we see deviations from our proper path. It gives us a sense of confidence and security. It reassures us that we are on the right track, that we are doing well.

The sense of the end motivates us to make plans always, to be thoughtful and anticipative of things. It teaches us also a sense of order and priority. It motivates us to set goals, make schedules and the prudent use of time. Ultimately, it helps us to distinguish between the essential and the non-essential in our life.

A person who does not have a sense of the end is obviously an anomaly. He tends to be lazy and prone to his personal weaknesses, to drift off aimlessly and lose control of his life. Such person is usually called a bum, a tramp or a vagrant.

It’s true that we may never know everything about the end.

But it’s not true that we cannot know enough about the end of anything. That’s why we can only talk about a sense of the end, since it is a dynamic affair that involves factors that are known and unknown, absolute and relative, constant and changing.

It would be good that as early as possible, we be guided by our faith and eventually acquire the very mind of Christ who is our way, truth and life. It is this faith, and not just some earthly science or art that assures us of eternal life and joy. We have to be wary when our sense of the end is ruled only by temporal goals.

To be sure, to have that Christian mindset does not lead us to develop rigid thinking and ways. Rather it helps us to be flexible, adaptable and creative.