Were Mary and Joseph Really Married???

YES YES YES , Mary and St Joseph were married before the conception of Our Lord, Jesus Christ! Ok, deep breath now. It is so important especially in this day and age, with so many attacks on the family itself to protect the TRUTH of the dignity of the Holy Family. So many people today, even some priests are misinterpreting the Holy scriptures and teachings of the Church by trying to say that Jesus was conceived out of wedlock ; this is just FALSE . It is a direct attack on the holiness of the Holy Family, and ultimately, the family itself. As Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI said, it is ” pious fiction ” to try and even suggest that Jesus was conceived out of wedlock to appeal to the sentimentality of the single mother. So called charity without truth is not charity at all, they must be coupled together at all times.
Now, to try and help clarify things, we need to go back to the first century customs of the Jewish people. What we recognize as “betrothal,” and what a first century Jewish person sees as betrothal are two very different things to be sure. This taken from a Jewish website here:
Two Stages in Marriage
According to Torah law, marriage is a two-step process. The first stage is called “kiddushin,” and the second step is known as “nisu’in.” Kiddushin is commonly translated as betrothal, but actually renders the bride and groom full-fledged husband and wife. After this point, if, G‑d forbid, they decided to part ways, a “get” (Jewish divorce) would be required. However, the bride and groom are not permitted to live together as husband and wife until the second stage, the nisu’in, is completed. This taken from this site more info if you want www.chabad.org/…/Kiddushin-Betro…............ continued at www.canadiancatechist.com .....