(This is a “Faith in Action” column by Msgr. John Enzler, the president and CEO of Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Washington.)

This is one of my favorite times of the year as we celebrate warmer weather and the new life of spring, the Easter Resurrection, and the gift of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. This is also a time of year when many of us also celebrate important milestones and transitions.

We have graduations from kindergarten, middle school, high school and graduate studies. We have transitions to new schools and maybe even new places of living. We have people beginning their first jobs in their field of study. Sacramentally, we have First Communion, Confirmation and Holy Orders, and it is a popular time for marriage as well.

Milestones mark both an end and a beginning. The other word we use for graduation – commencement – also means “to have or make a beginning.” As such, they are a time to look both backward and forward. 

We should take a moment to look back and celebrate perseverance and accomplishments. These milestones are important not just to the individual involved but also to a wider circle of families and friends. We celebrate, give thanks, and look back with joy at what has been completed. 

At the same time, these are great moments in life to look to the future. It is a natural time to ask ourselves and God what is next, with the firm belief that he has special intentions for each one of us. 

I want to make sure our young people know how much we look to them for the future. Their integrity, character and desire to live faithful and moral lives will make a huge difference for themselves, their peers and their families. Sometimes our young people are the ones who bring their parents back to church or are the catalyst for real progress in family life. I think we may not always appreciate and encourage the impact they already can have.

New beginnings are exciting because they are filled with potential, which is an idea that I love. Each of us has unique potential, God-given abilities to do things that others may not be able to. If we allow these gifts to grow and mature, great things can happen. 

I think of a quote I have seen attributed to Mark Twain: “You never can tell from the looks of a frog just how far he can jump.” It is true of people as well. When I look at young people beginning new chapters in life, I have no idea how far they will be able to jump – but I believe that they can jump a long way if they are willing to seek and reach for what God wants for them. 

This often requires patience and perseverance, doing your best one day at a time. It reminds me of the Chinese bamboo tree. When a new seed is planted, it does not break through the ground for five years. After five years of nothing, you would think that it was dead, and that planting it was a waste of time. But in that fifth year, get ready. It can grow 75 feet or more in a matter of weeks! 

During those five long years when it looked as if it was dead, the plant was actually putting down roots, deeper and broader. That way, when the very thin bamboo tree finally does break the surface and grows so tall, it is strong enough to withstand rain, snow, wind and whatever buffets them. With deep roots, we can withstand the storms of life.

During whatever phase of life that you are completing, you have been growing your roots wide and deep, laying the unshakeable foundation for your relationship with God and what he wants you to do. For some, these roots may need to grow more before they and others can see the growth that has taken place. For others, they may be about to break through the surface. Whenever it happens, those deep roots will enable you to grow to soar to the heavens and remain strong in your life’s journey. 

As Psalm 1 tells us, “He is like a tree planted near streams of water, that yields fruit in season; Its leaves never wither; whatever he does prospers.”

Congratulations to all who are celebrating milestones, who have completed one phase of their life and stand on the threshold of the next one. Look back at a job well done. See how far you have come, and how God and your loved ones have been with you every step of the way. 

Then, look at this not as a time to stop but a time to begin. A time to make a difference in the world. A time to continue growing into the person God wants you to be and that you in your heart want to be as well.