Our Lady Undoer of Knots
Feast Day September 28
When Your Situation Feels Too Tangled to Fix
Sometimes life does not have one simple problem.
It has knots.
One problem becomes connected to another.
A misunderstanding becomes resentment.
A financial problem affects a marriage.
A difficult decision creates another difficult decision.
Someone you love makes choices you cannot control.
A door needs to open—but three other things seem to have to happen first.
You pray and think:
“Blessed Mother, I don't even know how this could possibly be worked out.”
That is a beautiful time to turn to Our Lady Undoer of Knots.
Bring Mary the situation exactly as it is.
You do not have to untangle everything before bringing it to her.
Give her the whole knot.
Where Did This Devotion Come From?
The devotion is associated with a beautiful painting known as Mary, Undoer of Knots, painted around the year 1700 by Johann Georg Melchior Schmidtner and venerated in Augsburg, Germany.
In the image, Our Lady is surrounded by angels as she patiently unties the knots in a long ribbon.
On one side, the ribbon is tangled.
After passing through Mary's hands, it becomes smooth.
The imagery has traditionally been connected with an ancient reflection attributed to St. Irenaeus, who contrasted Eve's disobedience with Mary's obedience.
What Eve bound through unbelief, Mary's obedience helped to untie.
Mary does not replace Jesus.
She always leads us to Him.
At Cana, when the wedding feast ran out of wine, Mary noticed the problem and brought it to Jesus.
Then she gave us some of the most important words in Scripture:
“Whatsoever he shall say to you, do ye.” — John 2:5
That is the heart of this devotion.
Bring Mary the knot.
Then do whatever Jesus tells you.
What Is Your Knot?
Maybe your knot is:
A troubled marriage
A relationship that needs clarity
Family conflict
Someone who has stopped practicing the Faith
Financial problems
Employment difficulties
A complicated decision
Fear about the future
Resentment you cannot release
An old family wound
A situation involving many different people
A habit you cannot seem to overcome
A project that continually encounters obstacles
A prayer that seems unanswered
Confusion about your vocation
Something you have been trying to control yourself
Sometimes the hardest part is admitting:
“I cannot untangle this.”
That admission can become the beginning of surrender.
Stop Pulling the Knot Tighter
Think about a tangled necklace.
What happens when you become frustrated and pull harder?
The knot becomes tighter.
We can do the same thing spiritually.
We worry.
We analyze.
We replay conversations.
We imagine every possible outcome.
We try to control other people.
We demand answers immediately.
We pray—and then spend the rest of the day trying to solve everything ourselves.
Sometimes we need to stop pulling.
Place the knot into Mary's hands and say:
“Blessed Mother, I have done what I reasonably can. I cannot force the rest. Please intercede for me and help me follow God's will.”
Some Knots Are Inside Us
We naturally want Our Lady to untangle the circumstances around us.
But sometimes the first knot God wants to address is within our own heart.
Fear.
Pride.
Impatience.
Resentment.
Jealousy.
Unforgiveness.
The need to control everything.
Attachment to one particular outcome.
Perhaps you are asking Mary to change a situation while she is quietly helping you become the person you need to be within that situation.
So add another prayer:
“Our Lady Undoer of Knots, show me if I am part of the knot.”
That prayer requires humility.
But it can change everything.
Our Lady Undoer of Knots & Marriage
This devotion has a particularly beautiful connection with marriage.
The painting itself was commissioned in connection with a family story involving a troubled marriage.
According to the tradition surrounding the image, a German couple, Wolfgang and Sophie Langenmantel, experienced serious marital difficulties. Wolfgang sought spiritual help from the Jesuit priest Fr. Jakob Rem.
During their prayers, a wedding ribbon associated with the marriage was placed before an image of the Blessed Virgin. The story relates that the ribbon's knots were loosened and it became smooth.
The marriage endured.
Years later, their grandson commissioned the famous painting associated with the devotion.
For couples facing difficulties, this gives the image special meaning.
Bring Our Lady the knots in your marriage.
Miscommunication.
Old wounds.
Financial stress.
Outside pressures.
Fear.
Different temperaments.
Resentments.
Ask her to help untangle whatever prevents husband and wife from loving God and one another as they should.
Pray More Than You Analyze
If you have been thinking about a situation for three hours but praying about it for three minutes, perhaps it is time to reverse those numbers.
Every time your mind begins running through the problem again, turn the thought into prayer.
Instead of:
“How is this ever going to work?”
Say:
“Our Lady Undoer of Knots, pray for us.”
Instead of:
“What if this happens?”
Say:
“Jesus, I trust in Thee.”
Instead of mentally replaying what someone said:
“Blessed Mother, I give this person to thee.”
You may have to do this fifty times in one day.
That is okay.
Each time you surrender the thought again, you are practicing trust.
How Do You Actually Give Mary a Knot?
You can make this devotion very practical.
Write your intention on a piece of paper.
You do not need to explain everything beautifully.
Write:
“My marriage.”
“My son returning to the Faith.”
“Our financial situation.”
“My future.”
“This decision.”
“The resentment between us.”
“The situation I cannot fix.”
Place the paper beneath an image of Our Lady.
Then pray:
“Blessed Mother, this is my knot. I give it to thee. Please take it to Jesus and obtain for me the grace to do His will.”
Then resist the temptation to pick it back up through constant worry.
The Novena to Our Lady Undoer of Knots
A beautiful way to seek Our Lady's intercession is through the Novena to Mary, Undoer of Knots.
Choose one particular knot.
Bring it to Our Lady for nine days.
Pray the Rosary.
Ask her intercession.
But during the novena, do something else:
Ask God to reveal what He wants from you.
Perhaps you need to apologize.
Perhaps you need to forgive.
Perhaps you need to make a decision.
Perhaps you need to have a difficult conversation.
Perhaps you need to seek appropriate help.
Perhaps you need to stop interfering.
Perhaps you simply need to wait.
A novena is not nine days of telling Heaven how to solve the problem.
It is nine days of allowing Heaven to work on us too.
Prayer to Our Lady Undoer of Knots
O Blessed Virgin Mary,
Mother of God and tender Mother of mine,
I place into thy hands today
the knot that I cannot untangle.
[Mention your intention.]
Thou seest every part of this situation.
Thou knowest what happened before I understood it.
Thou knowest the hearts of everyone involved.
Thou knowest which doors should open
and which should remain closed.
I have tried to understand everything.
I have worried.
I have pulled at the knot.
And now I give it to thee.
Our Lady Undoer of Knots, pray for me.
If something must be removed,
ask Jesus to remove it.
If something must be healed,
ask Him to heal it.
If someone must change,
begin with me if necessary.
If I must act,
show me what to do.
If I must wait,
give me peace.
And if God's answer is different from the answer I desire,
give me the grace to trust Him.
Untie everything that prevents me
from loving Jesus completely
and doing His holy will.
Mary, Undoer of Knots, pray for us.
Amen.
While You Wait, Offer the Knot
You can even turn the frustration of waiting into prayer.
When the situation enters your mind:
“Jesus, I offer this uncertainty to Thee.”
When you want an answer immediately:
“Blessed Mother, I offer thee my impatience.”
When you are tempted to complain:
“Our Lady Undoer of Knots, I offer this for the person involved.”
When nothing seems to be changing:
“Jesus, I trust that Thou canst work where I cannot see.”
Now even the waiting has become an offering.
Don't Tell Mary How to Untie It
This may be the hardest part of the devotion.
We sometimes give Mary the knot while also handing her detailed instructions:
“Untie it exactly this way, using these people, by this date, with this outcome.”
That is not surrender.
Try praying instead:
“Blessed Mother, I know what I want. I have told thee honestly. But I want God's will even more.”
Our Lady may obtain exactly what you requested.
God may answer differently.
The situation may change quickly.
Or the knot may loosen slowly.
Our confidence is not that every circumstance will unfold according to our plans.
Our confidence is that God will never abandon those who place themselves in His hands.
One Knot at a Time
Some situations have taken years to become tangled.
Do not become discouraged if everything is not resolved overnight.
A knot may loosen one strand at a time.
One conversation.
One confession.
One apology.
One decision.
One door opening.
One resentment surrendered.
One person converting.
One fear released.
One Rosary.
One day of trusting God.
You may not see the whole ribbon becoming straight yet.
Keep giving it to Mary.
Bring Your Knots to Our Lady
Consider keeping an image of Our Lady Undoer of Knots somewhere you will see it each day.
When worry returns, look at Our Lady patiently working upon that tangled ribbon.
Then pray:
“Mary, I give thee the knot.
Jesus, I give Thee the outcome.”
Visit our parish bookstore for Marian books, Rosaries, novena booklets, and other materials that can help deepen your devotion to Our Lady.
And perhaps tonight, write down the one knot that has been consuming your thoughts.
Place it before Our Lady.
Pray your Rosary.
Do whatever God reasonably asks of you tomorrow.
And then allow Heaven to handle what you cannot.
Stop pulling the knot tighter.
Give it to your Mother.
Our Lady Undoer of Knots, untie the knots that keep us from Jesus.
Our Lady Undoer of Knots, pray for our marriages and families.
Our Lady Undoer of Knots, pray for us!
