On October 13th 1917, Our Lady appeared to three little children named Francisco, Lucia and Jacinta at Fatima, Portugal. Her message was one of prayer and penance.
Feast Day: October 13th
Prayer: Dear Lady of Fatima, we come on bended knee to beg your intercession for peace and unity. Dear Mary, won't you show us the right and shining way? We pledge our love and offer you a rosary each day.
How this devotion started?
To show us the mission granted to the Virgin Mary by Her Son, an unknown artist
painted Mary Undoer of Knots with great grace. Since 1700, his painting has
been venerated in the Church of St. Peter in Perlack, Germany. It was
originally inspired by a meditation of Saint Irenaeus (Bishop of Lyon and
martyred in 202) based on the parallel made by Saint Paul between Adam and
Christ. Saint Irenaeus, in turn, made a comparison between Eve and Mary,
saying:
"Eve, by her disobedience, tied the knot of disgrace
for the human race; whereas Mary, by her obedience, undid it".
But what are these knots?
They are the problems and struggles we face for which we do
not see any solution.
Knots of discord in your family, lack of understanding between parents and
children, disrespect, violence, the knots of deep hurts between husband and
wife, the absence of peace and joy at home. They are also the knots of anguish
and despair of separated couples, the dissolution of the family, the knots of a
drug addict son or daughter, sick or separated from home or God, knots of
alcoholism, the practice of abortion, depression, unemployment, fear,
solitude…Ah, the knots of our life! How they suffocate the soul, beat us down
and betray the heart’s joy and separate us from God.
The devotion to Mary Undoer of Knots is not new. The
devotion is more than 300 years old. However, it is not based on an apparition
of the Virgin Mary to a person, or persons, as in Lourdes or Fatima, but rather
it is a revered devotion as many others in the Catholic Church, despite Virgin
Mary is only one.
The devotion to Mary Undoer of Knots is becoming more and
more known in many different countries, and the Novena has been printed in 19
languages, as well as in Braille. In the last 4 years, the Sanctuary of Mary
Undoer of Knots has welcomed more than 600,000 pilgrims from all over the world.
At Mass, there is a multitude of people: the young, the
elderly, rich and poor, all asking for help from Our Lady to simplify their
lives.
Day after day, more and more Christians kneel to pray to Her
as soon as they meet the Mother of the Fair Love.
Many families have become reconciled! Many diseases have been healed! Many
spouses have returned to the Church! Many jobs have been given! Many
conversions have taken place! Many Catholics have been on their knees praying
and giving thanks for graces received from our sweet Mother.
We are living in difficult times where the problems, the
knots, the temptations, the lack of peace and the evils are all around us. Like
a roaring lion your adversary, the devil, prowls around, looking for someone to
devour.
(1 Peter 5,8)
For that reason, Mary Who undoes the knots, Who was chosen by God to crush the
evil with Her feet, comes to us to reveal Herself. She comes to provide jobs,
good health, to reconcile families, because She wants to undo the knots of our
sins which dominate our lives, so that - as sons of the King - we can receive
the promises reserved for us from eternity. She comes with promises of victory,
peace, blessings and reconciliation.
Then, free from our knots – filled with
happiness, we can be a testimony of the Divine Power in this world, like
pieces of God’s heart or small bottles of perfume exhaling mercy and love to
our neighbor. Like ambassador of Jesus Christ and the Virgin of the fair love,
we can rescue those who cry without any consolation, those who are lonely, tied
with knots, who have no God, no Father nor Mother.
Mother of the Rising Sun, Immaculate, our Advocate, Helper
in moments of affliction, Mother of God and made by Him our Mother, this is how
Mary, Undoer of Knots is presented. Above all, She comes as the Queen of Mercy,
the one who knows all about us, who has compassion for us and hurries to rescue
us, praying for each one of us to Her beloved Jesus.
Is it possible that the Lord does not answer Her?
May Mary Undoer of Knots bless you today and forever. Amen!
Pope
Francis’ Prayer to Mary Undoer of Knots
Holy Mary, full of God’s presence during the day of your
life, you accepted with full humility the Father’s will, and the devil was
never capable of tying you up with his confusion.
Once with your Son you interceded for our difficulties, and
full of kindness and patience, you gave us example of how to untie the knots in
our life. By remaining forever Our Mother, you put in order and make more clear
the ties that link us to the Lord.
Holy Mother, Mother of God and our Mother, to you who untie with a motherly heart the knots of our life, we pray to you to receive in your hands (the name of the person), and to free him/her of the knots and confusion with which our enemy attacks.
Through your grace, your intercession and your example
deliver us from all evil, Our Lady, and untie the knots that prevent us from
being united with God, so that we, free from sin and error, may find Him in all
things, may have our hearts placed in Him, and may serve Him always in our
brothers and sisters. Amen.
Prayer
for Personal Troubles
Mother of fair love, I look to you.
Take into your hands the ribbon of my life,
and see the snarl of knots that keeps me bound
to sin, anxiety, and hopelessness.
I beg you, Mother, by your powerful intercession
and long fingers of love and grace,
undo the knots in my heart and in my life.
Free me to love as Christ loves.
Mary, Undoer of Knots, pray for us.
Prayer
for the Strengthening of Marriages
Blessed Mother, take into your hands
the knots that affect married couples,
and with your long fingers of love and grace
undo these knots for the glory of God.
Visit married couples with your grace;
renew their sacramental covenant,
increase God's love in them,
and strengthen their bond of peace
so that, with their children,
they may always rejoice in the gift of your blessing.
Mary, Undoer of Knots, pray for us.
