Question
Gramps,
My father passed away in 2014. His birthday is tomorrow and I was wondering if they have birthday celebrations in heaven? What do you think?
Leslie
Answer
Dear Leslie,
I’m so sorry to hear of your father’s passing. Before I answer your question, please permit me to remind all of us of the love of our Heavenly Father, and of the promises He has made to us. Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 2:9, “But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.” Trust that God has the best of things in store for your father as he continues his progression in the spirit world.
Now, to your question about birthday celebrations: the truth is that I have no idea. Birth is a mortal event, but entering mortality is an extremely important event in our eternal progression. For all we know, some sort of celebration accompanied our preparation to enter mortality. So I expect it’s possible we will celebrate that event in some fashion beyond mortality. Amulek might give us a clue, indirectly, in his sermon found in Alma 34:34(emphasis added):
Ye cannot say, when ye are brought to that awful crisis, that I will repent, that I will return to my God. Nay, ye cannot say this; for that same spirit which doth possess your bodies at the time that ye go out of this life, that same spirit will have power to possess your body in that eternal world.
Now this verse is talking about the resurrection, and its context isn’t what we’re looking for, but it gives us an important clue – namely, you’ll still be the same person you were. This only makes sense from everything we know about our pre-mortal, mortal, and post-mortal existence. Given this fact, I’d say that if birthdays were important to your father (or perhaps more significantly, to his parents) in this life, then he may well have some sort of celebration in the spirit world – especially given that he probably has more family with whom to celebrate.
Whether mortal birthdays are celebrated in the spirit world, or even in heaven after the resurrection, rest assured that through his efforts to follow the Savior, your father will be blessed. And if you want to celebrate your father’s birthday, I think that’s a fine way to honor him and remember the joys you shared while he was here.
Gramps
