Well, man...
A lot of tradition was stripped from the faith in the West after the Reformation - due to rebellion against ANYTHING that came out of Rome. (and by the way, Rome and the East were already in all-out schism by the time the Reformation took place, and had been for nearly 500 years).
I am a recent convert to the Orthodox Christian faith. I was a lifelong Protestant, and I had to fit Mary’s special place among the Saints into my head. After all, she was born like you and me...she died like you and me.
So with that said, what makes her special (even Billy Graham has been quoted as saying that Evangelicals don’t give Mary her due)?
In a nutshell, and with my kindergarten-level understanding of Orthodox theology, God chose her. And then He called her. And He had a REALLY unique request.
(Here’s the punch line) She said yes. (Would you have?)
This is one reason why the Church regards her as Foremost among the Saints. She is the Ark of the New Covenant.
Happy Feast!
On a natural level, what force equals that of momma bear? How much greater the Mother of God?