At the risk of offending my Christian friends, we Jews have a hard time understanding how a Jewish Husband and Wife failed to complete their marital responsibilities and consummate the marriage.
Y'all are welcome to your version of events, just unnerstand that it don't make no sense among the Yiddishers.
You'll only offend your Catholic Christian friends. According to us Protestants, Joseph and Mary did indeed consummate the marriage. Jesus had at least three brothers, James, Jude and Joses, mentioned in the New Testament and the phrase 'do not his sisters live among us?' Catholics say they were cousins/relatives.
Of course, we don't think Mary was "immaculately conceived," but we do believe in the Virgin birth.
Thus the Readers' Digest version of differences between Catholics & Protestants.
They did consumate their marriage and had other children (Matt 13:55-56). It was before they were married that Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit.(Matt 1:18-20)
Brad
Mary is the new Ark of the Covenant. She must remain undefiled just as the Ark had to be undefiled.
I am certain that you remeber in the old Testament that when the Ark was being transfered and one of the priests put his hand on it to steady it that he died instantly.
The same would be true of Mary for her and Joseph to have relations would have defiled her.
They weren't married at the time, son.
I can answer your question of "How old was Mary at the Immaculate Conception"! She was a gleam in her father's eye, being conceived in a natural way but by the grace of God, the Father, never having been under the stain of original sin! That is the dogma.
By your question I perceive that you think the Immaculate Conception had something to do with the conception of Jesus in Mary's womb. You are wrong!!!!!!!!!!!! The Immaculate Conception was part of God's plan to prepare a pure human vessel for the incarnation of His Son, Jesus.