Almost every year I like to retake the Myers-Briggs personality test, mostly to gain some insight and knowledge about myself. For those who are unfamiliar with the Myers-Briggs, it is a series of questions that determines where one falls in four categories: introversion or extraversion, sensing or intuition, thinking or feeling, and judging or perceiving. Although nothing changes drastically in my personality type from year to year, it is interesting to see certain percentages shift over time. Although it may be uncomfortable for me to evaluate and understand who I am as an individual, it does allow me to check in with myself and find what I need going forward.

I’m not saying all of this to be an example of self-help, but rather to suggest that evaluating and understanding who we are is an essential aspect of our Christian life. In this Sunday’s gospel (Matthew 25:31-46), Jesus describes the final judgment as a shepherd separating the sheep from the goats. They are evaluated and understood by this test: “I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me.”

This Sunday we find ourselves at the end of another liturgical year in celebrating the Solemnity of Christ the King. However, before we jump too far into the freshness of the Advent season, it might be helpful for us to pause, check in, and evaluate this past year of Christian living. Where did we encounter Christ? When did we act as Christ for another? In what ways did we succeed or fall short in living out our Christian identity? As we reflect back on this past year, may we have the awareness to understand who we were and the courage to embrace who we can become.