Feast of the Week: Baptism of Our Lord, January 13th

The feast of the Baptism of Our Lord is traditionally celebrated on January 13th, which formally marks the end of Christmastide. There are few changes to notice, however, because we are still in the season of Christmas, which lasts until Septuagesima Sunday, when the longer season of Easter begins. The changes in my day to day life are simply that I return to the feasts of the saints in the back of my missal, and that my Christmas tree and decorations come down, except for the Nativity scene.

This feast day honors the day where Christ went with some of his disciples to the River Jordan, where His cousin, St. John the Baptist, was baptizing people in the Baptism of Penance. It is the last of the three manifestations of Our Lord’s Divinity, Victimhood,and Kingship, as St. John the Baptist’s words reveal: “Behold the Lamb of God, behold He Who takes away the sins of the world” (Gospel, Octave day of the Epiphany). It is also when St. John foretold the true Baptism in the Holy Spirit, the sacrament that Christ would formally establish a little while later.

This year, I’m going to use the time after Epiphany to re-organize my home, donate anything we haven’t used in the past year, and move. My husband wants to move back upstairs to save on our electric bill, to get a bigger kitchen back (not in space per se, but in more storage), and to take advantage of more natural daylight because of an extra window (this is mostly for me, because daylight helps to fight depression naturally). Not a big move, but there will be quite a few changes ahead! I’m looking forward to having a blank slate to work in for organization, decoration, and cleaning.

What things are you hoping to accomplish in this year's short time after Epiphany?