Lent starts on my birthday

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I have to chuckle a bit here…in my family, we rarely celebrate someone’s birthday ON their birthday. If we all want to get together and celebrate…and we do…we check calendars and schedules and plan accordingly. We even do this for Thanksgiving, often celebrated on Wednesday or Friday. Between crazy work and school schedules and some working night shifts, we tend to be very flexible.

The importance isn’t necessarily the day, it’s the gathering and the celebrating!
 
Look on the bright side:

If you continue, and do become Catholic, and in fifty~ish years your birthday may again coincide with Ash Wednesday, and it will be your 60th (or later) birthday: You will not need fast! 🎂
Definitely something to look forward to.

However you will still need abstain 🐟 , presuming your health is generally fine
 
Pattylt said:
The importance isn’t necessarily the day, it’s the gathering and the celebrating!
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It was a long time ago now, but for a period of about six years we lived just two or three blocks away from my wife’s sister and her husband. His birthday and mine are just three days apart, so we would have a joint celebration every year, usually on the closest Saturday night. Both families really enjoyed those double birthday parties.
 
Celebrate it on Tuesday and then do it again on Thursday. And on your birthday for your light meal – maybe a Chocolate shake or a smoothie – What do you think?
 
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My birthday is always during Lent, and sometimes on Good Friday.
You suck it up and celebrate on a different day.
 
TheBomb.Com said:
Thank you! I will definitely enjoy this last year off of Lent!
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You do know that Lent doesn’t start on the same day every year, right? So there will be years when your birthday isn’t on Ash Wednesday and won’t even be in Lent. In 2019, Lent didn’t begin till March 6. And in 2022, Lent won’t start till March 2.

In the years when your birthday is in Lent, then unless it falls on Ash Wednesday, or on a Friday, you’d still be able to celebrate it on the day of your birthday. In the years when your birthday falls on Ash Wednesday or on a Friday, then you might want to move the celebration to another day. Although technically you could still celebrate it on a Friday as long as you didn’t eat meat.
 
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TheBomb.Com said:
Lent begins on my birthday: February 26, which is Ash Wednesday. Do I have to fast on that day?
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Yes but remember fasting is actually not onerous.

You may eat one normal meal plus two smaller meals (equal to one normal meal). That’s not hard to bear even on a birthday.
 
I think you will find Lent to be a very (searching for the right word) pleasant experience every year. Going to stations every week, morning masses, KoC Friday fish fries, etc do not end up seeming to be a burden at all.

If I were you, I would start this year.

As far as your birthday goes, sounds like a really fun Fat Tuesday 🙂
 
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Titivillus said:
If you continue, and do become Catholic, and in fifty~ish years your birthday may again coincide with Ash Wednesday, and it will be your 60th (or later) birthday: You will not need fast! 🎂
Definitely something to look forward to.
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Just to throw out the quick calculations:

Your birthday 🎂 will fall on Ash Wednesday next year and in 2031-02-26T05:00:00Z, but then not again until 2172-02-26T05:00:00Z (so it probably should not be a problem).

Your birthday 🎂 will fall on Lenten Fridays 🐟 on 2021-02-26T05:00:00Z, 2027-02-26T05:00:00Z, 2066-02-26T05:00:00Z, 2072-02-26T05:00:00Z, 2077-02-26T05:00:00Z, 2083-02-26T05:00:00Z, and 2100-02-26T05:00:00Z (beyond that, 2123-02-26T05:00:00Z, probably not a concern).
 
TheBomb.Com said:
Not yet. I was hoping to enter RCIA after turning 17.
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Right now your birthday is really important to you. In future years, it probably won’t be. Additionally, your family might make a big deal of it on the day itself, and that could be tricky.

Since you are not yet Catholic, I would suggest you have a “practice” Lent this year which starts the day after your birthday. Give something up (there are threads here with lots of great ideas), follow the rules as closely as you can (don’t get a hamburger at the school cafeteria on Fridays, but don’t have a fight with your parents if they serve meat later on! Just thank them and eat it), and do something to increase your prayer life.

Lent is about making sacrifices so you will improve as a person so as to be able to have a better relationship with God. I try on the one hand to give something up and on the other to add something to improve my spiritual life.

PS edited for clarity
 
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And on some birthdays we celebrate Easter Sunday! 😅

And if we want to have cake on that combined Easter Sunday/birthday during the social after Mass, then we might have to bake it ourselves. 😐
 
Regardless of the case, advance happy birthday to you and GOD bless! :grinning_face_with_smiling_eyes:🎉:red_gift_envelope:🎊😇
 
@TheBomb.Com,

I pray that you’ll soon join our Catholic faith. I assure you, you’ll never regret it. The reward will be much more than than what you’ll get for your birthday.

So why don’t you do yourself a favor, join the RCIA and give yourself the greatest birthday treat ever in your life.

I’ll keep you in my prayer. 🙏🙏

Shalom! 😇😇😇
 
PS. I can sense that you are a kind-hearted fellow. You ought to be on our side. 😉😉😉
 
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Party on Fat Tuesday; that would be an awesome birthday party!!!
 
CRV said:
I think you may have meant to type that the two smaller meals cannot equal a full meal.
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No. The two smaller meals together can equal one normal meal. Maybe it’s different in the US.
Anyway it does not take my point away. Fasting like this is not a burden for one day no matter what day it is.
 
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I sympathize. I was born on Good Friday, though my birthday won’t fall again on Good Friday until I’m 95. Still, every few years it falls during Holy Week, and growing up, I would give up chocolate for Lent, and thus not be able to have chocolate cake on my birthday. Trust that the Lord is pleased by your sacrificing licit pleasures for love of Him.

Anyway, the obligation to fast doesn’t start until you’re 18, so you wouldn’t be under any obligation to fast even if you were Catholic.
 
Ok, I just assume everyone is from the US here, sort of like a default position in my thinking - so assumed you were too.

And yes, you’re right - fasting is not really a burden considering we can have some food at each usual meal time.

ETA - if you don’t mind saying, and just from interest because I honestly thought it was the same everywhere (pardon my ignorance), but what country does the “two smaller meals together can equal one normal meal” apply?

Thank you.
 
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