Better the end of something than the beginning
The sermon addresses the importance of looking at the end of things and emphasizes that the end of a matter is better than its beginning, as stated in the Book of Ecclesiastes. It explains that a person should not judge his life or the circumstances he experiences based on their beginnings or their present difficulties, but should look at the outcome toward which things will eventually lead. The Resurrection provides a great example of this principle, as the sadness and fear of the disciples at the time of the Cross turned into joy and courage after the Resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. The teaching emphasizes that some people had a bad beginning but reached a good ending through repentance, such as Saint Augustine, Saint Moses the Black, and Saint Pelagia, while others began well but ended badly, such as Demas, who loved the present world and left the service of the Apostle Paul.
Spiritual Message
The teaching explains, through the stories of Joseph the Righteous, Job the Righteous, the Three Young Men, and the Prophet Daniel, that tribulations and suffering are not the end of the story; rather, a person must look at what God can accomplish in the end. Joseph suffered from the injustice of his brothers and imprisonment, but God transformed his life into a good ending, just as God visited Job and compensated him after his suffering. Likewise, the fire did not harm the Three Young Men, and the lions could not hurt Daniel, because God was with them. The teaching also emphasizes that repentance can transform a person’s life regardless of how it began, as happened with the Prophet Jonah when he returned and obeyed God’s command. Therefore, a person should not become preoccupied with temporary appearances or with the success of the wicked, but should focus on the spiritual ending that a person will reach before God. The teaching also calls us to think continually about eternity, the general resurrection, and the life of the age to come, considering them the better ending that God has prepared for humanity.
Educational Lesson
The teaching instructs us that a wise person thinks about the consequences of his actions before beginning them and continually asks himself: Where will this path lead me? What matters is not that a person begins a relationship, a project, or an action in a good way, but that it reaches a sound ending. This applies to human relationships, emotional attachments, marriage, friendship, the way we treat others, and even the words a person says when angry. The teaching warns against making decisions without thinking about their consequences, because some actions may seem enjoyable at first but lead to painful results. It also explains that present effort and hard work may lead to rest and good fruits in the future, like a student who works hard in his studies and a farmer who labors in cultivation before the harvest. It further emphasizes that a person’s spiritual life needs a clear goal and a continuous plan for growing toward perfection, rather than simply living without purpose or direction.
Practical Application
The teaching calls us to examine ourselves continually, evaluate our ways of life, habits, characters, and the way we treat others, and think about the results toward which they are leading us. We should make reaching God and attaining a sound spiritual life our primary goal, and move toward this goal step by step through repentance, spiritual struggle, and growth in holiness. We must also keep death and standing before God in our thoughts, and learn from Saint Anthony the Great and Saint Arsenius the Great, who made preparation to meet God the focus of their lives. The teaching encourages us to endure present difficulties and tribulations in order to reach a good ending, like the martyrs who endured suffering and received heavenly crowns. We should also avoid postponing thoughts about our eternity until the future, because if love of the world becomes firmly rooted in the heart, it may turn into habits and desires that enslave a person and make repentance difficult. Therefore, a person’s heart must be attached to God, and he should not separate his daily life from his relationship with Him, but should live every day prepared for eternity, keeping the Resurrection and the life of the age to come before his eyes.
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