As will become clear in a moment, the Holy Family can be another controversial topic. Today we will focus on Joseph. An example of a father, the head of the family, a true man, a hard worker. As we all know, he was a carpenter and passed this profession on to his children. He cared for Mary and showed great understanding towards her.
While he was still engaged to Mary, she became pregnant. However, Joseph had not yet had time to approach her, meaning he was certain the child was not his. An angel appeared to him and instructed him not to divorce her but to marry her, as the child had felt the Holy Spirit’s blessing and he should be confident of her fidelity. After this revelation, Joseph did as he was instructed and married Mary.
It is also important to briefly mention the historical context here. Families were patriarchal. A woman who committed fornication faced stoning. Of course, premarital sex was strictly forbidden and considered fornication. Therefore, when Mary became pregnant, it was very dangerous for her, considering that she was unmarried at the time.
By marrying Mary, Joseph saved her and the baby Jesus from the hardships of the world and perhaps from death, a cruel death at that. Note that even though he married her, Mary was still sent to live with her cousin while pregnant for her safety and that of her unborn child.
Let’s return to Joseph. He fulfilled God’s will and adopted Mary, married her, and showed his mercy and compassion for her. He later demonstrated concern for his wife and children. Let’s also consider God in this relationship. In Sacred Scripture, God describes himself as love (John 4:16) and loves people, wants them to be happy. He punishes them for their lack of love. In John 4, we read that whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love (John 4:8). Furthermore, God gave us the commandment to be fruitful and multiply (Genesis 1:28). As we know, the New Testament is an extension of the Old Testament and follows from it. We cannot erase what is written in the Old Testament.
Let us conclude further: how could God, who is Love and gave us the commandment to multiply, condemn Joseph to celibacy—because that is what the Church’s teaching about him, i.e., Joseph, boils down to today. How could He forbid him from having his own children, who are undoubtedly a treasure and the fulfillment of God’s will? The way the Holy Family is presented is a distortion. It would be more accurate to assume that Joseph did not have sexual relations with Mary until she gave birth to Jesus. Afterward, after the birth, Mary and Joseph had sexual intercourse, like any normal family.
It is also worth mentioning that, according to John, according to John, the Holy Family was not a child. According to Church teaching, an unconsummated marriage, meaning one in which sexual intercourse between a man and a woman has not occurred, is invalid. A family that is not truly a family cannot be established and held up as a model, because the union is invalid. It should rather be assumed that the young people, which Mary and Joseph undoubtedly were after their marriage, consummated their union only after Mary gave birth. Furthermore, it should be noted that the Bible states that Jesus had brothers and sisters – why not take this directly and seek further interpretation? This is illogical.
Why would God, who is love, who desires our happiness and fulfillment, who created us as sexual beings, completely deprive Joseph of this sexual dimension? Would he punish him for fulfilling His will, that is, the will of God (which is also the commandment to reproduce, meaning that God would contradict himself), consisting in accepting Mary despite her pregnancy? This is simply illogical.