Many of them, like Mary, are teen-agers. These babies are going to need help. So will their mothers. So do the mothers of babies born in wedlock. Dad plays a lot bigger role than just putting his name on the mailbox.
Every child needs structure, love, care.
I think that's what Mary and Joseph provided to Jesus. Maybe Mary could have found an empty manger by herself. And maybe, alone, this young girl could have raised the boy, fed and clothed him, taught him a trade. But God must have thought she needed help. The Cincinnati Enquirer , a Gannett Co. Inc. newspaper.