Action and Purpose

The following quote, taken from the book Celtic Praise is on from an ancient Celtic Christian, in which the person, looking back on his or her life realizes they once thought the end justifies the means.

When I was striving for success,
To make my mark upon the world,
I committed many sins,
I exploited many people
In order to achieve my puroses.
When my conscience pricked, I said:
All will be justified when
my task is done.
Now that I have finished striving,
And no longer want to
make more marks,
I want only to be pure,
and live in harmony with the world.
I see no difference between
action and purpose;
The action is the purpose,
The purpose the action.
All must be justified here and now.

Do you agree that all must be justified here and now? And if so, how do we know we are being just? What standard do we use to justify our actions and their purposes?

Note:
For those interested in working on our trips to Biloxi, Mississippi as partner with The Church of the Redeemer in their efforts to rebuild their church and community, there is now a CafePress shop set up with t-shirts and other items for the partners. It is online at http://cafepress.com/redeemer-biloxi/.