It’s a beautiful question that touches the heart of Catholic devotion. We often hear that Mary is “the greatest of all saints,” yet she is also called our Mother. How can both be true? To understand this, we need to see who Mary is not only in history, but in the mystery of God’s plan for our salvation.
Mary is different from the other saints first because of her unique relationship with Jesus. Every saint reflects the light of Christ, but Mary is the one who bore that Light into the world. When the angel Gabriel came to her and she said, “Let it be done to me according to your word” (Luke 1:38), she became the Mother of God—not by her own power, but by the pure grace of the Holy Spirit. No other saint was called to such an intimate cooperation with God’s plan.
Secondly, Mary is the Immaculate Conception—meaning she was preserved from original sin from the first moment of her existence. While other saints were freed from sin through baptism and conversion, Mary was kept free from sin entirely, so she could be a pure vessel for Christ’s coming. Her holiness was not earned but given by God in anticipation of her role as the Mother of the Savior. As the Church teaches, she is “full of grace” (Luke 1:28), not just favored, but perfectly filled with God’s presence.
Another difference is that Mary’s intercession is motherly and universal. The saints pray for us as friends and companions on the journey of faith. Mary, however, prays as a mother—for all her children. From the Cross, Jesus gave her to us when He said to John, “Behold your mother” (John 19:27). In that moment, Mary’s motherhood was extended to all believers. This is why we call her Mother of the Church.
Finally, Mary is the perfect model of what every Christian is called to be. She shows us how to receive God’s Word, to trust even when we don’t understand, and to let Christ be born in our lives. Every saint reflects one aspect of holiness—charity, humility, courage—but Mary embodies all of them in perfect harmony. She is the living icon of the Church, showing us the way to her Son.
When we honor Mary, we do not take glory from God—we see more deeply the wonder of His grace. May her “yes” inspire us to say our own yes to God each day, trusting that His love can do great things through humble hearts.
— Fr. John Matthew, for Christian Way
