Why would Mary remain a virgin...after marriage?

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excaliber

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Mary was married to and im guessing lived with her husband.
Why would they NOT engage in reproducing children?
 
  1. Because she’s the Ark of the New Covenant. No man may touch was is holy to God.
  2. The gate that the Lord has passed through, no man shall enter by it.
  3. Mary was a consecrated virgin. That is why she was puzzled by what the angel told her about conceiving a son. She was married to Joseph and would soon enter into his home. She was no dummy and knew how babies were made, and yet she was puzzled how she would give birth to a child. This implies she was never going to have sexual relations with Joseph.
 
also, joseph knew that Mary was the spouse of the Holy Spirit and rightfully believed that she was not to be his, joseph’s, spouse. joseph understood that his relationship with Mary was unique beyond all other human relationships between a man and a woman. joseph had no intention of intruding on God’s unique and special relationship with Mary.
 
zz912 said:
  1. Because she’s the Ark of the New Covenant. No man may touch was is holy to God.
  2. The gate that the Lord has passed through, no man shall enter by it.
  3. Mary was a consecrated virgin. That is why she was puzzled by what the angel told her about conceiving a son. She was married to Joseph and would soon enter into his home. She was no dummy and knew how babies were made, and yet she was puzzled how she would give birth to a child. This implies she was never going to have sexual relations with Joseph.
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You wrote, “No man may touch was is holy to God”

Would you consider God-Incarnate “holy”?

As far as, “She was married to Joseph and would soon enter into his home.”, Mary was NOT married to Joseph at the time, she was betrothed to Joseph.

Concerning, “She was no dummy and knew how babies were made, and yet she was puzzled how she would give birth to a child. This implies she was never going to have sexual relations with Joseph”, no it doesn’t, it clearly implied just what she said, “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?””.

Mary and the Angel were talking about the present in both the sense of time and the gift from God of the Incarnation.
 
If no man may have relations with Mary… EVEN AFTER she gave birth to Jesus and was married…
Why on earth was she married?

Are Nuns married to a man and then told not to have relations?
NO

Are priests married to women and then told not to have relations?
NO

If God tells a person that they must remain a virgin… then that person goes and gets married…that makes no sence.

UNLESS being full of grace has nothing to do with remaining a virgin your whole life.
 
excaliber said:
If no man may have relations with Mary… EVEN AFTER she gave birth to Jesus and was married…
Why on earth was she married?

Are Nuns married to a man and then told not to have relations?
NO

Are priests married to women and then told not to have relations?
NO

If God tells a person that they must remain a virgin… then that person goes and gets married…that makes no sence.

UNLESS being full of grace has nothing to do with remaining a virgin your whole life.
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Maybe it has to do with the environment that Jesus was born into. It would have been a great shame to Jesus if he had no imputed father. That would make Jesus appear to be illegitimate and Mary to be of low moral character.

Such labels would have seriously impaired Jesus’ ability to preach His message, especially in the Jewish society of that time.

And, the young Jesus needed a human father in his life like every boy does.

Paul
 
excaliber said:
If no man may have relations with Mary… EVEN AFTER she gave birth to Jesus and was married…
Why on earth was she married?

Are Nuns married to a man and then told not to have relations?
NO

Are priests married to women and then told not to have relations?
NO

If God tells a person that they must remain a virgin… then that person goes and gets married…that makes no sence.

UNLESS being full of grace has nothing to do with remaining a virgin your whole life.
Click to expand...
At that time, a woman with a baby without being married would be against the laws and would get killed… she would be stoned to death. So God chose Saint Joseph to be the foster father of Jesus for people to think that he is the biological father of Jesus. Also, God wanted Jesus to be raised in a family. Joseph was always there to serve and help Mary with raising Jesus and protected them . He also protected Mary and took her from Jerusalem to Egypt and helped her with everything else…
 
You are thinking in more modern terms when it comes to sexuality.

Sex back in her time, a time when women had no legal rights, was seen as a duty of a woman to her husband. It was something she submitted to. She wasnt expected to enjoy it. She was expected to fulfill her duty.

Joseph would have understood this. Why would he demand his husband’s rights to sex of the woman, chosen by God, to bare the Son of God?
 
Marie5890 said:
You are thinking in more modern terms when it comes to sexuality.

Sex back in her time, a time when women had no legal rights, was seen as a duty of a woman to her husband. It was something she submitted to. She wasnt expected to enjoy it. She was expected to fulfill her duty.

Joseph would have understood this. Why would he demand his husband’s rights to sex of the woman, chosen by God, to bare the Son of God?
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Good for your post. I do think that the era is important in this area in looking at this.👍
 
I guess I am a little curious as to why this woulod be an issue with a Catholic :confused:
 
excaliber said:
Mary was married to and im guessing lived with her husband.
Why would they NOT engage in reproducing children?
Click to expand...
It was never her intent to marry in the first place, but she did so as a protection of her vow of perpetual virginity. Joseph, was an older man, probably a widower, and he married Mary, not to take a second wife, but to bring her into his home for protection from other young suitors.
 
excaliber said:
If no man may have relations with Mary… EVEN AFTER she gave birth to Jesus and was married…
Why on earth was she married?

Are Nuns married to a man and then told not to have relations?
NO

Are priests married to women and then told not to have relations?
NO

If God tells a person that they must remain a virgin… then that person goes and gets married…that makes no sence.

UNLESS being full of grace has nothing to do with remaining a virgin your whole life.
Click to expand...
Why did Mary Get Married?

The Protoevangelium of James was written around A.D. 120, when some of those who had known the apostles were still alive. It records that Mary was dedicated before her birth to serve the Lord in the temple, as Samuel had been dedicated by his mother (1 Sam. 1:11). This required perpetual virginity of Mary so that she could completely devote herself to the service of the Lord.

According to the Protoevangelium of James, concerns about ceremonial cleanliness required that Mary have a male protector who would respect her vow of virginity. Joseph was “chosen by lot to take into [his] keeping the Virgin of the Lord.” His duty to guard Mary was taken so seriously that when Mary conceived, Joseph had to answer to the temple authorities. So Mary’s betrothal to Joseph was not in conflict with her vow of virginity.

Taken from:

Was Mary a Perpetual Virgin?
By Christine Pinheiro
catholic.com/thisrock/2005/0512sbs.asp
 
Randy_Carson said:
Why did Mary Get Married?

The Protoevangelium of James was written around A.D. 120, when some of those who had known the apostles were still alive. It records that Mary was dedicated before her birth to serve the Lord in the temple, as Samuel had been dedicated by his mother (1 Sam. 1:11). This required perpetual virginity of Mary so that she could completely devote herself to the service of the Lord.

According to the Protoevangelium of James, concerns about ceremonial cleanliness required that Mary have a male protector who would respect her vow of virginity. Joseph was “chosen by lot to take into [his] keeping the Virgin of the Lord.” His duty to guard Mary was taken so seriously that when Mary conceived, Joseph had to answer to the temple authorities. So Mary’s betrothal to Joseph was not in conflict with her vow of virginity.

Taken from:

Was Mary a Perpetual Virgin?
By Christine Pinheiro
catholic.com/thisrock/2005/0512sbs.asp
Click to expand...
Exactly, and if I am not mistaken in the Protoevangelium they were, as you stated, hauled before the temple authorities and were put through the ringer to get to the bottom of how the Blessed Motgher could be with child and still be a virgin. To me Joseph had a lot of explaining and convincing to do.
 
Please note that women remaining virgins after marriage was not an unusual happening in Hebrew society. The whole chapter of Numbers 30 is spent dealing with this.
 
I think Jesus was supposed to be descended from the house of David, and this happens because he is the step son of Joseph. Just thinking here. Have to look that up.!
 
Interesting… 🙂

Does anyone know why the Protoevangelium of James is not part of the official canon of scripture?
Randy_Carson said:
Why did Mary Get Married?

The Protoevangelium of James was written around A.D. 120, when some of those who had known the apostles were still alive. It records that Mary was dedicated before her birth to serve the Lord in the temple, as Samuel had been dedicated by his mother (1 Sam. 1:11). This required perpetual virginity of Mary so that she could completely devote herself to the service of the Lord.

According to the Protoevangelium of James, concerns about ceremonial cleanliness required that Mary have a male protector who would respect her vow of virginity. Joseph was “chosen by lot to take into [his] keeping the Virgin of the Lord.” His duty to guard Mary was taken so seriously that when Mary conceived, Joseph had to answer to the temple authorities. So Mary’s betrothal to Joseph was not in conflict with her vow of virginity.

Taken from:

Was Mary a Perpetual Virgin?
By Christine Pinheiro
catholic.com/thisrock/2005/0512sbs.asp
Click to expand...
 
Randy_Carson said:
Why did Mary Get Married?

The Protoevangelium of James was written around A.D. 120, when some of those who had known the apostles were still alive. It records that Mary was dedicated before her birth to serve the Lord in the temple, as Samuel had been dedicated by his mother (1 Sam. 1:11). This required perpetual virginity of Mary so that she could completely devote herself to the service of the Lord.

According to the Protoevangelium of James, concerns about ceremonial cleanliness required that Mary have a male protector who would respect her vow of virginity. Joseph was “chosen by lot to take into [his] keeping the Virgin of the Lord.” His duty to guard Mary was taken so seriously that when Mary conceived, Joseph had to answer to the temple authorities. So Mary’s betrothal to Joseph was not in conflict with her vow of virginity.

Taken from:

Was Mary a Perpetual Virgin?
By Christine Pinheiro
catholic.com/thisrock/2005/0512sbs.asp
Click to expand...
Is this book considered as sacred tradition of the church and doctrinal? If so, why was it not in the canon since the Catholic Church claims the canon happened later.
 
excaliber said:
If no man may have relations with Mary… EVEN AFTER she gave birth to Jesus and was married…
Why on earth was she married?
Click to expand...
Well, we may also ask, “why on earth did Jesus get baptized?” Did Jesus really *need *to be born again, and have His sins forgiven by baptism? Our Lord did this as an example to us. Mary’s marriage to Joseph is also an example to us. Children need both a mother and a father in the home. The example of Mary as a single mother would not be the example that God wants us to have.

Here is another reason as to why Mary would remain a virgin. Think about it - Jesus is no ordinary child. If you were overshadowed by the Holy Spirit, carried the Incarnation of God in your body for 9 months, and gave birth to the Savior of mankind, you would be so profoundly changed that nothing of this world would hold any appeal to you.

Look at the lives of the seers in approved apparitions of Jesus or Mary. Those people spend the rest of their lives looking heavenward, not earthward. They are so interiorly changed, they can’t wait to die! I maintain that the encounters of Mary and Joseph with God are so transforming, that it would be impossible to keep a mundane life of child-rearing like everyone else. Mary and Joseph’s mission and vocation was to raise the Redeemer to adulthood, without the distractions of other children. The protestant insistence that Mary had other children is absurd and lessens the specialness and uniqueness of Jesus, and the roles that Mary and Joseph played in His life.
 
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