If Mary and Joseph never had sex, was their marriage consumated and valid?
That’s a great question, and one that people often use to try to prove that Mary did not remain a virgin. The truth, however, is that she DID remain a virgin, and the marriage was still valid. The quickest answer how is that Mary and Joseph’s marriage was what was called a “Nazirite marriage”, it wasn’t a sacramental marriage like we have today because they were Jewish at the time of their marriage, and because the Sacraments were not practiced yet. For a marriage to be sacramental, both parties need to be baptized, but Mary and Joseph were not baptized, so the marriage bond was not a ‘sacramental bond’ but a ‘natural bond’. The marriage, however, is still completely valid.
