These are 4 great teachings of Saint Joseph and the Virgin Mary about marriage that we can see in the biblical stories of the history of our Salvation

If you're like most people, when you think of Joseph and Mary, they're usually just figures in a manger or characters on the front of a Christmas card. But it's more than this. Our images of Saint Joseph and the Blessed Virgin Mary are perpetually linked to the story of the birth of Jesus. While the birth of Christ is a moment of immeasurable importance, if we only view the Virgin Mary and Saint Joseph through the lens of that night and their entire life together while Jesus created her, we miss some valuable lessons that have to be teach us about marriage.

I have always been fascinated by the marriage of Saint Joseph and the Virgin Mary. Their relationship is captured in the first chapters of the Gospels of Saint Matthew the Apostle and Saint Luke. Their example proves to be one of the healthiest examples of marriage recorded in the Bible. I believe that if we stop seeing them as artificial plastic figures in Christmas decorations and see them in the light of their faith, humanity, and love of God and neighbor, our lives and marriages will be affected as a result.

Below I want to give you 4 great teachings from Saint Joseph and the Virgin Mary that we can learn about marriage. We can see all this in the biblical accounts of the history of our Salvation.

1. Saint Joseph and Mary worked for unity in their marriage.

From the moment they were married, Saint Joseph and Mary were always shown together in the Bible. They were together on the trip to Bethlehem, in the stable where Jesus was born, when they dedicated the Baby Jesus Badge in the temple.

And also in calamities as refugees escaping to Egypt fleeing death. When they returned to Israel, when they lost Jesus in Jerusalem when he was 12 years old, and then together they found him.

Like Saint Joseph and the Virgin Mary, your marriage will be stronger when you choose to face everything together with your spouse. Whether times are good or bad, never lose sight of the unity of your marriage. Saint Joseph and Mary teach us that in marriage we must be together at all times.

2. Saint Joseph and Mary trusted in God and each other.

Before Saint Joseph and the Virgin Mary were married, God sent an angel to appear to Saint Joseph, I Mary another angel with the announcement of the message of salvation. After they were married, on the two occasions when God needed to send an important message, He only told Saint Joseph through dreams. So then, Saint Joseph had to trust in God, and Mary had to trust in Saint Joseph, her husband.

In marriage, sometimes God can give a vision to one spouse, and they must trust each other enough for both to accept the call. Mary trusted God to give birth to the Messiah even though she was a virgin. Saint Joseph trusted God to marry a pregnant woman and begin his marriage as a stepfather.

Like Saint Joseph and the Virgin Mary, your marriage can overcome any obstacle when you choose to have unwavering faith in God and your spouse.

3. Saint Joseph and Mary faced difficulties with faith and perseverance.

Saint Joseph and the Virgin Mary were at the center of God's will and yet almost every part of their lives was difficult. They walked through poverty, being socially marginalized due to an out-of-wedlock pregnancy. They were rejected in the middle of the night and giving birth in a barn full of animal manure.

Thus, Saint Joseph and Mary had to move with a newborn to a foreign country to escape the tyrant King Herod who wanted to kill them. They had to relocate to a new community once they returned to their country of origin. Saint Joseph and Mary passed many other obstacles as well.

From the teachings of Saint Joseph and Mary on marriage, we learn strength. Their marriage was strong because they faced every challenge together, and they trusted God completely. Like Saint Joseph and Mary, your marriage will not be defined by the size of your struggles, but by the size of your commitment to God and to each other.

4. Saint Joseph and Mary faced harsh criticism.

Can you imagine being pointed out by an entire community to see what “superficially” had happened around the marriage of Joseph and Mary?

I cannot imagine the accusatory looks and hurtful words of Maria's companions and relatives, thinking that Maria had been with another man and had betrayed her husband San José.

On the other hand, how many would have mocked Saint Joseph because the lady he had accepted in marriage had become pregnant by “another” man?

In all of this, Saint Joseph and Mary rejected the criticism and followed the will of God. We will all have criticism in our lives, especially from people pointing out problems in our marriage, or from those trying to encourage us to separate when the slightest fault occurs in a spouse. Do like Saint Joseph and Mary, follow the heart of God. Do not let in slander, criticism or unhealthy opinions from those who do not seek the good for your marriage.

Saint Joseph, Mary and marriage.

There is much about the marriage of Saint Joseph and Mary that we do not know. We know that Saint Joseph was a carpenter by profession and very well known in the town. With high probability, Jesus followed in the footsteps of Saint Joseph to work in carpentry. We also know that Saint Joseph probably died young, because Marfa was a widow at the time of Jesus' recorded ministry, which began when Jesus was about thirty years old.

Although there are many details of the lives of Saint Joseph and Mary that we do not know, we know enough to learn some powerful lessons from their examples as husbands.

The next time you see St. Joseph and Mary depicted on Christmas decorations, pause and reflect on the fact that they were real people with real faith who had a real marriage and went through many of the same conflicts we experienced today. We go through many marriages today.

I encourage you to learn from the example of marriage of Saint Joseph and the Virgin Mary. Because, just as God called Saint Joseph and Mary to do a very special job, God is calling you and your spouse to an important mission too.

Like Saint Joseph and Mary, you and your spouse will only be able to fulfill your life and marriage purpose when you choose to have faith in God and in each other. For additional tools to help you build a solid, healthy and loving marriage, be sure to consult our partner website: Emotional Zone, a Catholic website that provides access to a lot of information related to marriage.