The Virgin Incarnation of God 

    In Israel, the only appreciable rainfall occurs from late fall, through winter, until early spring, that is, from 

November to March, inclusive.

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 The fruit trees could not have produced buds until sometime after the rains 

began in November. The buds then grew to maturity, and opened as flower blossoms, probably about the 

month of December. With any species of fruit tree, there are variations from one variety to the next, and even 

from one year to the next (depending on weather conditions), as to when the tree will flower, and when it will 

produce fruit.

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 But, in general, the fruit trees in Israel could not have blossomed before November, because of 

a lack of rain, and had to have blossomed and been pollinated well before the fruit crop would reach maturity 

in late winter/early spring. 

    If the Temple priests wanted to use a fruit tree branch as a religious test, not so different from the Old 

Testament practice of casting lots (Num 26:55; 1 Sam 14:42), they could only do so at a time when the fruit 

tree branches were close to blooming, which, in Israel, would be more or less the month of December. Earlier 

than that, the fruit tree buds would be too immature, later than that and the blossoms would already be 

opened, or would have been replaced by growing fruits. 

    Therefore, the time of year when Joseph was chosen to be the husband of Mary, Virgin of the Temple, was 

in early winter, about the month of December. This timing agrees with Blessed Anne Catherine's description 

of new Temple virgins being chosen in November (see chapter 9). The older Temple virgins had to be 

dismissed about that same time, to make room for the new. This timing also agrees with her statement that 

Joseph and Mary were betrothed in late January (see below). Mary returned to Nazareth, after being dismissed 

from the Temple, about the month of November. Joseph was chosen from among several candidates to be the 

husband of the Temple Virgin, Mary of Nazareth, about the month of December. And the betrothal ceremony 

was held in late January, after people had been notified and the betrothal preparations had been made. 

     Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, 

before they came together she was found to be with child of the Holy Spirit; and her husband Joseph, being a 

just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to send her away quietly.  (Mt 1:18 29). 

    In this passage, Sacred Scripture indicates that the betrothal ceremony was the beginning of the marriage of 

Joseph and Mary. They  had been betrothed,  meaning that the betrothal ceremony had already taken place. 

The phrase  before they came together,  means before they began to live in the same dwelling together. Here 

again is a reflection of the custom that the betrothed couple did not move in together until some length of time 

after the betrothal ceremony. Yet Sacred Scripture still calls Joseph  her husband,  because the betrothal was 

the beginning of the marriage. And these three things: they were betrothed, they had not yet moved into the 

same house, and they were already considered married, are mentioned together in the same sentence. The 

Virgin Mary was a betrothed virgin. 

      and Tobias' marriage was celebrated for seven days with great festivity.  (Tobit 11:19). 

    Blessed Anne Catherine describes the betrothal celebration of Joseph and Mary as lasting about 7 or 8 days, 

and occurring in late January, in Jerusalem.

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 She also repeatedly refers to their betrothal as a wedding. If the 

betrothal celebration began on Jan. 23, as Blessed Anne Catherine suggests,

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 and lasted seven days, then 

Mary would have started her journey back to Nazareth at the end of January. 

    The journey from Jerusalem to Nazareth is about 65 miles when measured straight on a map, and perhaps 

70   75 miles when traveled by the roadways of the time. Mary traveled on foot,

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 so the journey itself may 

have taken at least 4 or 5 days, and perhaps longer. The journey of Mary and Joseph from Nazareth to 

Bethlehem is described as taking about 9 days, plus one day when they rested on the Sabbath and did not 

travel.

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 Bethlehem is only a short distance from Jerusalem, about 5 miles. Therefore, Mary's journey from 

Jerusalem to Nazareth after her wedding may have taken, at most, 8 or 9 days. The Virgin Mary arrived at 

Nazareth after her betrothal to Saint Joseph sometime in early February. 

    After the betrothal ceremony, the Virgin Mary went to Nazareth, but Joseph went to Bethlehem to see about 

an inheritance, or some family matter.

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 Joseph must have spent some length of time in Bethlehem, where his 

family lived, before returning to Nazareth. The Incarnation of Jesus Christ took place on February 25 of that 

year (15 

B.C.

), before Joseph had returned to Nazareth to live there permanently. And Blessed Anne Catherine 

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