Important Dates in the Lives of Jesus and Mary 

times in Israel, when a man and woman decided to marry, there was a betrothal ceremony, which marked the 

beginning of the marriage. There was no long engagement period during which the couple dated. Then, after 

the betrothal ceremony, there was a space of time before the couple moved in together and began their married 

life. 

    The Jewish Law of the Old Testament clearly indicates that marriage began with a betrothal, and that the 

couple often did not move in together until some length of time afterwards. Consider the following three cases 

from the book of Deuteronomy. If a man lies with another man's wife, he is stoned to death for adultery (Deut 

22:22). But if a man lies with a virgin who is not betrothed, he is not put to death, but has to give her father a 

sum of money and marry her. He has sinned, but his sin is not adultery (Deut 22:28 29). In the third case, if a 

man lies with a betrothed virgin, he is stoned to death. She is another man's wife, so he is given the 

punishment for adultery (Deut 22:24). Notice that the woman of the third case has been betrothed, but is still a 

virgin she is married, but has not yet moved in with her husband. The marriage began with the betrothal 

ceremony, but the couple did not move in together until some time had passed. This was the custom of that 

culture and time period. 

    How was Joseph chosen to be the husband of Mary? Blessed Anne Catherine tells us that unmarried men of 

the house of David were brought to the Temple and each inscribed his name on a branch with a closed flower 

blossom. After a number of prayers and sacrifices were offered, and after an interval of time passed, none of 

the flowers opened. The Temple priests then searched the land for more candidates and found Joseph. When 

his branch was brought before the altar, the flower blossomed, and so Joseph was recognized as God's choice 

to be betrothed to the Temple Virgin, Mary of Nazareth.

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    Other ancient accounts, from apocryphal sources, claim that it was a dove, not the blossoming of a flower, 

which miraculously came from the branch.

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 The apocryphal story, involving a dove coming out of a branch, 

is clearly fictitious. Why would the Jewish priests choose Mary's husband using a method that required such 

an incongruous miracle? This story has not been accepted by the Christian community in any generation. 

Miracles do occur in salvation history, but this story has a miracle seemingly unrelated to the event. It does not 

make sense that the Jewish priests would expect God to miraculously cause a dove to come out of a branch, as 

a way to choose a husband for a Temple virgin. 

    On the other hand, Blessed Anne Catherine's account is much more plausible. Her account does not require 

the Jewish priests to have expected a miracle, but rather to have relied upon the Providence of God, merely 

expecting flowers to naturally open. Even so, the event could have been miraculous, in that Joseph's branch is 

sometimes said to have been  a dry rod blooming. 

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 Joseph's branch may have been a dry dead branch, 

incapable of blooming naturally.

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    In any case, her account fits the Jewish tradition of making important choices by lot, that is, by some type of 

chance event subject to the guidance of God's Providence (e.g. Joshua 14:2ff; Judges 7:4 7; Jonah 1:7). Blessed 

Anne Catherine's account of the event is also not unique to her writings. Saint Joseph is often depicted 

carrying a branch with a flower on it, as a reference to this ancient story.

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 Thus, this account has found some 

acceptance in the Christian community. Blessed Anne Catherine's account also provides chronological 

information, which fits well with the chronology of related events. 

    A flowering tree branch is most likely from a fruit tree. The purpose of the flower is to produce fruit. Fruit 

trees were cultivated in ancient Israel. The Jewish liturgical calendar even marked a New Year for Trees, 

celebrated in the month of Shevat (in winter).

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 The first fruits of the crop from fruit tree cultivation were 

offered as a sacrifice to God. A delay in the maturity of the crop from fruit trees was one of three factors in 

determining whether or not to delay the start of Passover (in spring), by adding the leap month of AdarII to the 

calendar.

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 So, the fruit crop was expected to reach maturity before Passover. The cultivation of fruit trees was 

connected with religious ritual. Thus, Blessed Anne Catherine's account of the Temple priests' method for 

choosing a husband for a favored Temple Virgin makes sense within the religious and cultural context. 

    Fruit trees produce flower buds, which grow to a point where they are nearly ready to open as flower 

blossoms. After pollination, the flowers become fruit, and the fruit grows to maturity. A skilled gardener can 

tell when a flower blossom is nearly ready to open. This skill is used, even today, to hand pollinate various 

types of garden plants.

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