Joseph (Spouse of Mary)

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The Our Sunday Visitor's 1991 Catholic Encyclopedia, page 902 has an article entitled "Spouses of the Blessed Virgin Mary." It says, ". . . Joseph . . . is justifiably called the spouse of the Blessed Virgin. . . the Holy Spirit is also considered the Spouse of the Blessed Virgin . . ."

Webster's Dictionary defines spouse as a married person; husband or wife.

Was Mary a bigamist or did the Holy Spirit divorce her? The only biblical reason for this would be that she had sex with another man (Joseph?)

Joseph was the husband of Mary and foster-father of Jesus. Roman Catholics do not believe he ever lived with Mary as a true husband but was protector of Mary and Jesus. It took centuries for anyone to notice him, but recently he has been elevated beyond all saints except Mary. Because of his intimate contact with Mary and Jesus, many theologians claim a freedom from sin for him. Some restrict this sinlessness to when he was married to Mary. It is more commonly held that throughout his life he never sinned grievously (CATHOLIC DICTIONARY OF THEOLOGY, volume II, page 165).

From THE WANDERER, 10/3/96. Pope Paul II, "Joseph and Mary received the grace of living both the charism of virginity and the gift of marriage." In the Code of Canon Law, No. 1055, it states that one of the purposes for marriage is the procreation of children. (Catholic Encyclopedia, page 626). In the same General Audience, Pope John Paul said, "We can wonder why she would accept betrothal, since she had the intention of remaining a virgin forever. Luke is aware of this difficulty, but merely notes the situation without offering any explanation. The fact that the evangelist, while stressing Mary's intention of virginity, also presents her as Joseph's spouse, is a sign of the historical reliability of the two pieces of information."

There is an interesting superstition circulating regarding St. Joseph's ability to sell houses. Since he is the patron saint of households, prospective house sellers can purchase a statue of St. Joseph and bury it in the front yard of the house they want to sell. Most recommend that it be buried head first, because of an old practice of trying to make the saint uncomfortable until prayers are answered. Richard Olanbo, chancellor of the Archdiocese of Santa Fe, NM said, "Sometimes if a person asked a saint to do something like sell a house and it wasn't going well, they would `punish' the saint until he did what they wanted him to do." Instructions on burying the saint vary. See next paragraph.

The June 1997 READERS DIGEST tells of a woman who wanted to sell her home and decided to use the "Bury St. Joseph" technique. However, different friends told her different ways the statue should be buried, and she ended up digging holes in various spots. Finally, disgusted because the house didn't sell, she threw St. Joseph in the trash. Imagine her surprise when sometime later she saw an article in the paper saying that the city had sold the trash dump to a private contractor.

The tradition that he died before the Crucifixion is probably upheld by Jesus' committing Mary to John; His own brothers being unbelievers (John 7:5).

Josephology in the Third Millennium

Adapted from a Christian Sentinel article by Jackie Alnor

"Will the coming millennium be focused on St. Joseph, just as the first millennium centered on Christ, and as the second millennium brought out the role of Mary in God's plan for mankind?" the Reverend Stanley Smolenski pondered. "There seems to be much pointing in that direction."

The Catholic vicar at St. Martha's Parish in Endfield, Connecticut published his theological arguments on behalf of Joseph, the fatherly guardian of Jesus, in a recent issue of the Homiletic and Pastoral Review. It was reprinted in the Catholic Familyland newspaper whose advisory board includes dozens of Catholic bishops, archbishops, and cardinals.

"We already have a profound appreciation of Jesus and Mary," Rev. Smolenski writes. "What is necessary is a similar appreciation of the third member of the terrestrial trinity: St. Joseph."

Smolenski's argument for a revival of Josephology in the Catholic Church can be summarized like this:

1. The Holy Spirit is directing the church's attention to Joseph.

2. Devotion to Joseph brings us to Mary who unites us to Jesus.

3. By acknowledging Joseph the Holy Family is complete - Mary is mother; Joseph is father, and Jesus is brother and we enter the family of God through them.

However, such a claim receives strong reaction from some evangelicals.

"Considering Joseph, the husband of Mary is mentioned only a handful of times in the Bible, it appears to be another attempt to add to God's word with the teachings and traditions of men," Mike Gendron argues. "In doing so they will be adding yet another mediator between God and men and making the simple way of salvation even more complex.

But Rev. Smolenski reasons that the ecumenical councils during the first millennium clarified theological arguments for the humanity and divinity of Christ. The second millennium brought Mary into focus with such dogmas as the Immaculate Conception and the Assumption, as well as the beginning of the age of Marian apparitions. So he concludes that the next millennium needs to focus on Joseph to complete the newly discovered trinity. which makes perfect sense to him in light of our "fatherless society."

The argument from scripture centers around the life of the son of Jacob, the Joseph of the Old Testament whom God used to save the Israelites from famine in Egypt. "As the patriarch Joseph achieved the title `savior of the world' in Hebrew history" (Gen. 41:45), Smolenski notes, "should there be any doubt that Joseph of Nazareth has a similar saving mission in our times as he did in the life of the Holy Family?"

Does this mean that Joseph is now the proposed savior of the 21st century? So it would seem.

For the New Testament proof text Smolenski cited the words of Paul in I Cor. 4:15: "You might have thousands of guardians in Christ, but not more than one father; and it was I who begot you in Christ Jesus by preaching the gospel. That the Apostle can make such a claim," he reasoned, "how much more should we see the paternity, by grace, of St. Joseph over the entire mystical body of Christ. So Joseph is in a relative way, the spiritual Father of the mystical body, the Church."

The instinctive calling upon Joseph is prevalent in Ireland. Whenever one of the Catholics would see an accident or catastrophe, they would automatically bless themselves and say "Jesus, Mary and Joseph." Since much of Marian piety is a growth from the grass roots to more official theology, perhaps this is the way Joseph will be elevated. Many theologians say he never seriously sinned, certainly not after his "marriage" to Mary. In some circles he is given a form of worship below Mary's hyperdulia but above the saints' dulia, that of protodulia.

Rev. Smolenski's proposed doctrine (going to Jesus through Mary and going to Mary through Joseph) is not as new as it would seem. He is only trying to attract more attention to a Catholic tradition that has been accepted in the Roman Catholic Church for centuries. One thing for sure, is if his proposed chain of command gains momentum in the next millennium, access to the Lord Jesus Christ for the Roman Catholic faithful promises to get more convoluted.