As Catholics we believe that Joseph and Mary lived and chaste married life: chaste in purity and celibate in not having sexual relations as husband and wife. This often sounds strange to the modern ear…in truth it has sounded strange to many people, Christians included, throughout the past 2,000 years. Archbishop M. de Langalerie in his book “The Month of St. Joseph” reminds us of a great truth in recognizing “St. Joseph: model of Virginity” as one of the icons of Joseph we can look at in the path for holiness in this unique and gracious way.
To be honest the subject of virginity isn’t always popular. But as we understand and know through the teaching of the Church, the path of holiness is founded in our choosing to deny ourselves, take up our cross and follow him. (Lk 9:23) And as the Second Vatican Council teaches in “The Dogmatic Constitution on the Church: Lumen Gentium” that the primary vocation of each Christian is holiness.

Archbishop Langalerie writes, “And you who live the ordinary lives of Christians, and do not feel yourselves called to practice as couples, be faithful in fulfilling all the commandments required of you; for in this way progress will be gained each day, and at last a relative perfection will be attained. Not to advance is to recede. Place yourselves today under St. Joseph’s protection and his holy prayers will serve as support to you.” (p. 87) Each of us, in the call to holiness, is called to a vocation in life. It is important to remember that marriage is the the default vocation of life, but a calling from God it live chastely in the sexual union of man and woman. It is a reminder, the call to holiness is responding to creative goodness to God. Just as marriage is a choice to enter into a relationship of love, so to in the choice of virginity to enter fully and completely into a relationship of love with God and his beloved, the Church.
We know that when a priest is ordained in the Roman Catholic Rite he takes the Church as his one bride, As St. Paul reminds us in Ephesian Chapter 5, Christ’s love for the Church is a model for the spousal relationship and a priest is called to live this same love towards the Church, the people of God. In a similar manner, consecrated women are often referred to as the bride of Christ. In this way they are promised lot the care of Jesus and live in the model of virginity shared by St. Joseph, as a choice to love ever deeper. “St. Joseph, by a continual self-denial and enter abandonment to the will of God, practiced the three virtues of poverty, chastity, and obedience in all that was in them most difficult, pure and elevated.” (p 88) It is in this sacrifice the deeper love is experienced.

The chastity of both married life and the consecrated virginity are equal in the image of God as the path to holiness and the discovery of the deeper and fuller participation in the Body of Christ. This is an idea we need to live and rejoice in because we are all called to seek the will of God in our lives. This is why we need to continue encourage our young people (and old) to listen to the voice of God in following him in the sacrificial gift of life. Because virginity is not simply the absence of a sexual relationship but in the offering of our complete self to the Other in God, whether it is the spouse in a marital relationship or the Church in the vowed consecration to God and also in ordination.
St. Joseph living fully and completely the call of God becomes a model for all women and men living in this vowed virginity. As Archbishop Langalerie writes, St. Jospeh in “The joy of a good conscience, the satisfaction of having fulfilled his duty, and the lot of God were sufficient for him. In this he is a model for religious and all persons engaged by vow to the service of God.” (p 88)

We are all called to a deep unity with God and as “Lumen Gentium” proclaims loudly, to continue to conform our lives to the image of Jesus Christ. St.Joseph chose this path in the unity with his beloved spouse, Mary the mother of the Church and Jesus Christ as the head. I

“To see why virginity promotes genuine human love we need only recall that a profound contemplative communion is the primary reason for consecration. In the very nature of things, one who has achieved this purpose has necessarily achieved also a warm love of neighbor.” (p 84, “And you are Christ’s” by Fr. Thomas Dubay, S.M.)

Pray for vocations.

God bless
Fr. Mark.