Joseph being the husband of Mary is hard for us to understand in our society. We would think of him more as a caretaker and protector. She being called the Blessed Virgin Mary means that Joseph and Mary never entered into the marital embrace. But this does not make their marriage anything less. Most are not called to such marriages, but some are. Even in the Old Testament there were rules about 'Josephite' marriages.

There are some that believe Joseph was previously married especially to answer Luke 8:19. "Then his mother and his brothers came to him but were unable to join him because of the crowd." But this could very well be translated as meaning cousins or other relatives. Indeed other passages in the Gospels show "brothers" of Jesus as such. So, why did people create this idea? To protect Mary's virginity. And Joseph, the ultimate protector of Mary, would have no issues being wronged if it meant his wife was protected.

The preparation that Joseph would have needed to be the husband of God's second greatest treasure leaves no room for a previous marriage. This was, and is, too great of a responsibility. And all of this preparation would bring about a great love for Mary. After all, it is those that love the greatest that are willing to sacrifice the most for their beloved. We see that manifested most supremely in Jesus' sacrifice. He sacrificed for His Bride, the Church. Surely, Jesus saw Joseph sacrificing for Mary, Joseph's bride, as a boy.

So, when did Joseph and Mary get married? While we do not know the date for certain, there is a feast celebrated in some communities on January 23rd called the Feast of the Espousal of Joseph and Mary. What we do know is that their marriage occurred before the Annunciation. "[T]he angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the house of David, and the virgin's name was Mary." - [Luke 1:26-27] We think of betrothed or espoused as engaged. But Jewish custom at that time, betrothal was the first phase of marriage. While it was the first phase, it was recognized as a real and complete marriage. And with that, we see that Jesus was placed within a family from His very first moments in the womb. The Heavenly Family (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) is now mirrored on earth in the Holy Family (Jesus, Mary, and Joseph).

Heavenly Father, You prepared Joseph to be Mary's husband so that You could provide Your Son with a family. Help all families to be great sources of blessings to this world, living in the example of the Holy Family. Amen.