Mary’s Greatness and Holiness

Saint Bernardino of Siena was a popular preacher, attentive and sensitive to the mentality and religiosity of his listeners. (...) He preached that God wanted the Virgin to be so great and perfect because He had predestined her to become the Mother of the incarnate Word. Thus, the mystery of her divine motherhood is the reason for her greatness, so that her predestination is connected with the predestination of Christ. Her fullness of grace and her role in the mystery of the incarnate Word, as well as her compassion on Calvary and her Assumption into Heaven make Mary the human being nearest Christ and most like Him. The saint speaks of the Virgin's holiness with unbounded admiration. From her birth, he holds, the Lord gave her all the fullness of grace that a human being could possibly have, because she had been chosen to be the Mother of God.