Conclusion of the chapter on the Blessed Virgin’s betrothal to St. Joseph

February 24, 2022 • 1 min

From The Life and Glories of St. Joseph, in file "The Life and Glories of St. Joseph", page 131
By Edward Healy Thompson, M.A.

To sum up what has been said:

The Blessed Virgin in accepting Joseph as her spouse gave the most splendid confirmation to the high esteem in which his incomparable virtues were held.

She also set the seal of her free consent to a marriage which had been decreed in the counsels of the Ever-Blessed Trinity and had formed the matter of solemn deliberation on the part of the heads of the Jewish Church. It was the fiat of this sovereign Lady.

Between the betrothal and the marriage of Mary and Joseph a certain period, according to the custom of the Hebrew people, intervened. It is supposed in their case to have been two months, their mutual promises being interchanged in November, and the marriage itself probably taking place on the 23rd of January, when the Church celebrates the feast of the Espousals of the Blessed Virgin.