Mary, Untier of Knots


Mary, Undoer of Knots is a title of Mary that comes from a 17th century painting by Johann Georg Melchior Schmidtner (1625-1707), which shows the Blessed Virgin Mary standing on the crescent moon surrounded by angels. According to an old legend, a man who was about to be divorced by his wife went to his pastor and asked for prayers. The priest prayed to Mary that the knot or sin that was keeping this man bound be loosed. Mary untied the “knot” and the man’s wife did not divorce him. The man attributed this to prayer to the Blessed Mother surrounded by a long ribbon containing knots that are being untied.  

The devotion caught on and even Pope Francis prays to Mary, Untier of Knots. Since many of us have very tangled lives, the prayer is very appropriate: “Holy Mary, full of the presence of God during your life you accepted with great humility the Holy Will of the Father and the legacy of your Son Our Lord Jesus Christ. Evil never dared to entangle you with its confusion. Since then you have interceded for all of our difficulties. With all simplicity and patience you have given us an example on how to untangle the knots in our complicated lives. By being our Mother forever, you arrange and make clear the path that unites us to Our Lord . . . We ask you to receive in your hands (mention prayer request) and deliver us from the chains and confusions that have us restrained . . . Mother of Good Counsel, pray for us.”

Just as our earthly mothers often help with our dilemmas, we can entrust our burdens to Mary who understands the human heart. We believe that she will intercede for us. Of course, we can use our own words, but sometimes we are too desperate to find them.

Mary, Undoer of Knots, prayer for us.

 


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