“Mary Did You Know” – Hate it or love it?

November 13, 2025

·

I commented long on this YT video about “Mary Did You Know”.

The speaker stated “Catholics don’t believe that Mary was saved by Jesus”.

Inaccurate of course.

So I commented on this.

To preserve my comment, I’m including
a) The original video I replied to
b) My reply as I wrote in the comments
c) Analysis if my reply is correct vs official Catholic documents.

MY CORRECTIVE COMMENT

Hi Mackenzie, Clarification: as a practicing Catholic, I can confirm:

a) Catholics officially state that Mary was indeed saved by Jesus.

b) This was mentioned by Mary herself in the Magnificat, in the Bible, in front of St Elizabeth in Luke. “In God my Savior…”

c) The way she was saved by Jesus – we call it “Immaculate Conception” – most people don’t have a word for it.

d) None of us was saved this way because only Mary was the one given THE Graces to give birth to THE SAVIOR.

e) Mary is not your ordinary person, and someone’s mom cannot have given birth to Jesus. It was only Mary’s singular privilege. God chose her.

f) To see how difficult it is for “just” any woman to be worthy of the same privilege– for example, God had to wipe out the whole planet because only Noah’s family was worth saving. And then Noah became a drunkard… and so on.

g) This is a call to humility on our part. God chose Mary, not us. And this special grace, called the “Immaculate Conception,” is what saves her, as the song said, “retroactively.”

h) A sinful woman containing a sinless God inside her womb (“Jesus”) would have killed the woman instantly. See “Ark of the Covenant” rules in the Old Testament. Nobody can touch it, only the high priest can see it, but still not touch it. Only through poles can you carry it. One did die for touching it.

Would love to explain more.

3rd PARTY ANALYSIS IF MY COMMENT ABOVE IS RIGHT VS OFFICIAL CATHOLIC DOCS

a) Mary Was Saved by Jesus

Correct. The Catholic Church teaches that Mary was redeemed by Jesus Christ, the Savior of all humanity, including her. Her preservation from sin was not independent of Christ but achieved through His merits, making her the “most excellent fruit of redemption.”¹ ² This is a defined dogma, ensuring Christ’s role as universal Redeemer is upheld—no one, not even Mary, is saved apart from Him.³

b) Reference to the Magnificat in Luke

Correct. In the Magnificat (Luke 1:46-55), prayed by Mary in the presence of Elizabeth, she proclaims: “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior” (Luke 1:46-47). This biblical passage highlights Mary’s awareness of her need for salvation and God’s merciful action in her life, fitting into the broader history of redemption.⁴ Pope Benedict XVI described it as Mary’s personal praise of divine grace bursting into her heart, while also voicing the joy of all the redeemed.⁵

c) The Immaculate Conception as Mary’s Unique Mode of Salvation

Correct. The Immaculate Conception specifically refers to Mary’s preservation from original sin “in the first instance of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege granted by Almighty God, in view of the merits of Jesus Christ, the Savior of the human race.”⁶ This is distinct from the ordinary way of salvation (e.g., baptism removes original sin after conception). Most people indeed lack a specific term for it because it’s a singular privilege, not a general process.⁷ The Church celebrates it as her being “redeemed in a more exalted fashion” due to her role as Mother of God.⁸

d) Mary’s Unique Graces for Bearing the Savior

Correct. No one else receives this preservative grace because it was tailored to her mission: to bear the sinless Son of God. The Church teaches that Mary was “enriched from the first instant of her conception” with graces enabling her to be a fitting vessel for Christ, remaining free from all sin throughout her life.⁹ This singular election underscores that salvation comes entirely from God’s initiative, not human merit.¹⁰

e) Mary’s Non-Ordinary Status and Divine Choice

Correct. Mary is uniquely chosen by God as the Theotokos (Mother of God), a privilege no other woman could fulfill without divine intervention. As the Church teaches, God “chose her in Christ before the foundation of the world, to be holy and blameless before him in love,” setting her apart for this role.¹¹ Her fiat (“let it be done”) at the Annunciation was empowered by these graces, making her irreplaceable in salvation history.¹²

f) Analogy to Human Unworthiness (e.g., Noah)

This is a valid illustrative analogy, not a doctrinal statement, but it correctly highlights human sinfulness and the need for extraordinary grace. Scripture shows repeated instances of God’s mercy amid widespread unworthiness, like the Flood where only Noah’s family was spared (Genesis 6-9), yet even Noah later sinned (Genesis 9:20-21). This emphasizes that no one is “worthy” on their own—Mary’s graces were a pure gift, calling us to recognize our dependence on God.¹³ It promotes humility without implying Mary earned her role.

g) Call to Humility and “Retroactive” Grace

Correct in essence. The Immaculate Conception calls us to humility by showing God’s sovereign choice: He selected Mary, not us, for this honor, applying Christ’s merits “in anticipation” (often described as “retroactive” in popular terms, though theologically it’s preservative redemption foreseeably applied before Christ’s Passion).¹⁴ As the Magnificat illustrates, her salvation glorifies God’s mercy for all generations, inviting us to rejoice in His plan rather than our own merits.¹⁵ The Church sees this as the ultimate expression of prevenient grace, where God prepares the soul perfectly for His work.¹⁶

h) Analogy to the Ark of the Covenant

Correct as a theological typology, widely used in Catholic tradition. Mary is often called the “New Ark of the Covenant” because she bore the sinless Word of God in her womb, just as the Ark held God’s presence (Exodus 25; 2 Samuel 6). Old Testament rules strictly prohibited touching the Ark—Uzzah died for doing so (2 Samuel 6:6-7)—symbolizing that impurity cannot contain divine holiness. A “sinful” vessel could not sustain the Incarnation without such graces; Mary’s sinlessness ensured compatibility with Christ’s purity.¹⁷ This analogy, echoed by Church Fathers and popes, underscores why her Immaculate Conception was necessary.¹⁸

Summary

Your message is accurate and pastorally sensitive, effectively explaining complex doctrines like the Immaculate Conception while rooting them in Scripture (e.g., Magnificat) and analogies (e.g., Ark, Noah) that align with Catholic tradition. It avoids common misconceptions, such as portraying Mary as “unredeemed,” and emphasizes Christ’s universal salvation and our call to humility. Minor phrasing like “retroactively” or the Ark’s “instant death” is interpretive but faithful—feel free to share it as is. If explaining more, you might reference the Catechism (paragraphs 490-493) for further reading.¹⁹

[1] Butler’s Lives of the Saints: Volume IV page523

[2] Ineffabilis Deus

[3] Catholic Encyclopedia Immaculate Conception

[4] The Sources of Catholic Dogma (Enchiridion Symbolorum) 2803

[5] The Virgin Mary in the Christian Faith: The Development of the Church’s Teaching on the Virgin Mary in Modern Perspective page37

[6] The Sex Life of Mary and Joseph page8

[7] The Virgin Mary in the Christian Faith: The Development of the Church’s Teaching on the Virgin Mary in Modern Perspective page35

[8] A Catechism of Christian Doctrine (The Baltimore Catechism No. 3) 271

[9] Matthias Joseph Scheeben and the Controversy over the Debitum Peccati page5

[10] General Audience of 15 February 2006: Magnificat: My soul glorifies the Lord 2

[11] General Audience of 15 February 2006: Magnificat: My soul glorifies the Lord 3

[12] General Audience of 15 February 2006: Magnificat: My soul glorifies the Lord 1