Why is Mary considered the greatest martyr? Read this stirring sermon from St. Alphonsus Liguori on the spiritual martyrdom of the Virgin Mary.
First Point
Her Martyrdom Was Never Equalled
The words of the prophet Jeremias explain my meaning in this point: “To what shall I compare thee? or to what shall I liken thee, O daughter of Jerusalem?. . . for great as the sea is thy destruction; who shall heal thee?” No, the acuteness of the sufferings of Mary are not to be compared, even with those of all the martyrs united. ‘The martyrdom of Mary,’ says Saint Bernard, ‘was not caused by the executioner’s sword, but proceeded from bitter sorrow of heart.’ In other martyrs torments were inflicted on the body; but Mary’s sorrow was in her heart and soul, verifying in her the prophecy of Saint Simeon,
“Thy own soul a sword shall pierce.”
Second Point
The Martyrdom of Mary Was Without Relief
The martyrs suffered under the torments inflicted on them by tyrants; but our Lord, who never abandons His servants, always comforted them in the midst of their sufferings. The love of God, which burnt in their hearts, rendered all these sufferings sweet and pleasing to them.
St. Vincent suffered, when on the rack he was torn with pincers, and burnt with hot iron plates; but, Saint Augustine says, that ‘the Saint spoke with such contempt of his torments, that it seemed as if it was one who spoke, and another who suffered.’
Saint Boniface suffered, when the flesh was torn from his body with iron hooks, sharp reeds were forced under his nails, and melted lead was poured into his mouth; but, in the midst of all, he could never cease to thank Jesus Christ, who allowed him to suffer for His love.
Saint Lawrence suffered, when roasting on a gridiron; ‘but the love which inflamed him,’ says Saint Augustine, ‘did not allow him to feel the fire, or even that prolonged death itself.’
So that the greater was the love of the martyrs for Jesus Christ, the less did they feel their pains: and in the midst of them all, the remembrance alone of the Passion of Jesus Christ sufficed to console them. With Mary it was precisely the reverse; for the torments of Jesus were her martyrdom, and love for Jesus was her only executioner.
Here we must repeat the words of Jeremias: “Great as the sea is thy destruction: who shall heal thee?” As the sea is all bitterness, and has not within its bosom a single drop of water which is sweet, so also was the heart of Mary all bitterness, and without the least consolation: “Who shall heal thee?” Her Son alone could console her and heal her wounds; but how could Mary receive comfort in her grief from her crucified Son, since the love she bore Him was the whole cause of her martyrdom?
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This article is taken from a chapter in The Glories of Mary by St. Alphonsus Liguori which is available from TAN Books.
