Our Lady, Undoer of Knots

 In his work Against Heresies Saint Irenaeus, following St. Paul's comparison of Jesus as the new Adam, wrote of Mary as the Second Eve, stating that "the knot of Eve's disobedience was loosed by Mary's obedience.... For what the virgin Eve had bound fast through unbelief, this did the Virgin Mary set free through faith." (Adversus haereses, 3, 22). From this passage originates Mary's title of Undoer of Knots, which was further recognized with the beautiful painting by German painter Johann Schmidttdner in 1700. The image depicts Mary gently and patiently untying knots from a cord while smashing the serpent beneath her feet.  She stands beneath the Holy Spirit and is surrounded by the heavenly angels.

The knots in our spiritual lives, which Mary can help us to untie through her intercession, originate from our sins, and as these sins become habits, it becomes more and more difficult for us to return to virtue. This mirrors a knot that is more difficult to untie as it is pulled tighter. However, in our spiritual lives we can look to God's grace for help. This grace can be given to us through the intercession of Our Lady, our Undoer of Knots, who helps us overcome our vices so that we may grow daily in virtue. Mary's intercession also is significant in the knots of our daily lives, such as sickness, tragedy, or discord within the family, which bind us to our worries, suffocating our souls instead of letting us flee to the love and mercy of our Lord. Once again, as our loving Mother, Mary graciously accepts our knots, untying them for us when we trustingly place them in her hands, so that we may focus on following God's will.  Through the novena below, which should be recited for nine consecutive days, we implore Mary to accept our troubles and “untie” them for us, to help us regain the peace and love found only in God.

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Novena to Mary, Undoer of Knots

Each day
1.  ***Begin each day of the Novena to Mary, Undoer of Knots, with the Sign of the Cross.
2.  ***Make an Act of Contrition. You can use any form; simply ask God to pardon your sins and       make a firm purpose of amendment not to commit them again.
3.  ***Pray the first three decades of the rosary, with the appropriate mysteries for the day: Joyful, Sorrowful, Glorious.
4.  ***Make the meditation for the particular day of the Novena to Mary, Undoer of Knots
5.  ***Pray the last two decades of the rosary, with the appropriate mysteries for the day: Joyful, Sorrowful, Glorious.
6.  ***Pray the Prayer to Mary, Undoer of Knots.
7.  ***End each day of the Novena to Mary, Undoer of Knots, with the Sign of the Cross.

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Meditation for Day 1:
Dearest Holy Mother, Most Holy Mary, you undo the knots that suffocate your children. Extend your merciful hands to me. I entrust to You today this knot [mention your request here] and all the negative consequences that it provokes in my life. I give you this knot that torments me and makes me unhappy and so impedes me from uniting myself to You and Your Son Jesus, my Savior. 
I run to You, Mary, Undoer of Knots, because I trust you and I know that you never despise a sinning child who comes to ask you for help. I believe that you can undo this knot because Jesus grants you everything. I believe that you want to undo this knot because you are my Mother. I believe that You will do this because you love me with eternal love. 

Thank you, Dear Mother.  Mary, Undoer of Knots, pray for me.

***Prayer to Mary, Undoer of Knots (said daily at the end)

Virgin Mary, Mother of fair love, Mother who never refuses to come to the aid of a child in need, Mother whose hands never cease to serve your beloved children because they are moved by the divine love and immense mercy that exists in your heart, cast your compassionate eyes upon me and see the snarl of knots that exist in my life. 
You know very well how desperate I am, my pain, and how I am bound by these knots. 
Mary, Mother to whom God entrusted the undoing of the knots in the lives of his children, I entrust into your hands the ribbon of my life. 
No one, not even the Evil One himself, can take it away from your precious care. In your hands there is no knot that cannot be undone. 
Powerful Mother, by your grace and intercessory power with Your Son and My Liberator, Jesus, take into your hands today this knot. [Mention your request here]
I beg you to undo it for the glory of God, once for all. You are my hope. 
O my Lady, you are the only consolation God gives me, the fortification of my feeble strength, the enrichment of my destitution, and, with Christ, the freedom from my chains. 
Hear my plea. 
Keep me, guide me, protect me, O safe refuge! 

Mary, Undoer of Knots, pray for me. Amen.

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Meditation for the Day 2:
Mary, Beloved Mother, channel of all grace, I return to You today my heart, recognizing that I am a sinner in need of your help. Many times I lose the graces you grant me because of my sins of egoism, pride, rancor and my lack of generosity and humility. I turn to You today, Mary, Undoer of knots, for You to ask your Son Jesus to grant me a pure, divested, humble and trusting heart. I will live today practicing these virtues and offering you this as a sign of my love for You. I entrust into Your hands this knot [mention your request here] which keeps me from reflecting the glory of God.  Mary, Undoer of Knots, pray for me.*** 

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Meditation for Day 3:
Meditating Mother, Queen of heaven, in whose hands the treasures of the King are found, turn your merciful eyes upon me today. I entrust into your holy hands this knot in my life [mention your request here] and all the rancor and resentment it has caused in me. I ask Your forgiveness, God the Father, for my sin. Help me now to forgive all the persons who consciously or unconsciously provoked this knot. Give me, also, the grace to forgive me for having provoked this knot. Only in this way can You undo it. Before You, dearest Mother, and in the name of Your Son Jesus, my Savior, who has suffered so many offenses, having been granted forgiveness, I now forgive these persons [mention their names here] and myself, forever. Thank you, Mary, Undoer of Knots for undoing the knot of rancor in my heart and the knot which I now present to you. Amen.  Mary, Undoer of Knots, pray for me.  ***

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Meditation for Day 4:
Dearest Holy Mother, you are generous with all who seek you, have mercy on me. I entrust into your hands this knot which robs the peace of my heart, paralyzes my soul and keeps me from going to my Lord and serving Him with my life. 
Undo this knot in my love [mention your request here], O Mother, and ask Jesus to heal my paralytic faith, which gets downhearted with the stones on the road. Along with you, dearest Mother, may I see these stones as friends. Not murmuring against them anymore but giving endless thanks for them, may I smile trustingly in your power.  Mary, Undoer of Knots, pray for me.***

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Meditation for Day 5:
Mother, Undoer of Knots, generous and compassionate, I come to You today to once again entrust this knot [mention your request here] in my life to you and to ask the divine wisdom to undo, under the light of the Holy Spirit, this snarl of problems. No one ever saw you angry; to the contrary, your words were so charged with sweetness that the Holy Spirit was manifested on your lips. Take away from me the bitterness, anger, and hatred which this knot has caused me. Give me, O dearest Mother, some of the sweetness and wisdom that is all silently reflected in your heart. And just as you were present at Pentecost, ask Jesus to send me a new presence of the Holy Spirit at this moment in my life. Holy Spirit, come upon me!  Mary, Undoer of Knots, pray for me.  ***

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Meditation for Day 6:
Queen of Mercy, I entrust to you this knot in my life [mention your request here] and I ask you to give me a heart that is patient until you undo it. Teach me to persevere in the living word of Jesus, in the Eucharist, the Sacrament of Confession; stay with me and prepare my heart to celebrate with the angels the grace that will be granted to me. Amen! Alleluia!  Mary, Undoer of Knots, pray for me.  ***

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Meditation for Day 7:
Mother Most Pure, I come to You today to beg you to undo this knot in my life [mention your request here] and free me from the snares of evil. God has granted you great power over all the demons. I renounce all of them today, every connection I have had with them, and I proclaim Jesus as my one and only Lord and Savior. Mary, Undoer of Knots, crush the Evil One's head and destroy the traps he has set for me by this knot. Thank you, dearest Mother. Most Precious Blood of Jesus, free me!  Mary, Undoer of Knots, pray for me.  ***

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Meditation for Day 8:
Virgin Mother of God, overflowing with mercy, have mercy on your child and undo this knot [mention your request here] in my life. I need your visit to my life, like you visited Elizabeth. Bring me Jesus, bring me the Holy Spirit. Teach me to practice the virtues of courage, joyfulness, humility, and faith, and, like Elizabeth, to be filled with the Holy Spirit. Make me joyfully rest on your bosom, Mary. I consecrate you as my mother, queen, and friend. I give you my heart and everything I have—my home and family, my material and spiritual goods. I am yours forever. Put your heart in me so that I can do everything Jesus tells me.
  Mary, Undoer of Knots, pray for me.  ***

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Meditation for Day 9:
Most Holy Mary, our Advocate, Undoer of Knots, I come today to thank you for undoing this knot in my life.  [Mention your request here].  You know very well the suffering it has caused me. Thank you for coming, Mother, with your long fingers of mercy to dry the tears in my eyes; you receive me in your arms and make it possible for me to receive once again the divine grace. 

Mary, Undoer of Knots, dearest Mother, I thank you for undoing the knots in my life. Wrap me in your mantle of love, keep me under your protection, enlighten me with your peace! Amen.
  Mary, Undoer of Knots, pray for me.  ***

God bless!

+JMJ+