Mary Undoer of Knots
Mary Undoer of Knots is not an apparition as Fatima, Lourdes or Guadalupe are, but it is a devotion with a prayer and a Novena of nine days. It is a prayer we can use to go to Our Lady in a time of need or when we need her help.
The account behind Mary Undoer of Knots was given in the 1600s when a man from Germany, Wolfgang Langanmental, faced divorce, met with his priest and requested help from Our Lady for over a month. She came to the man’s aid, and the marriage was saved.
We all have problems in our lives, whether they are there because of our own doing or not, we cannot seem to get a handle on them, and they certainly can take us down. Sometimes we lose everything, especially if we delay; sometimes, we don’t. But regardless, there is help that we can solicit.
Unfortunately, human nature seems to save this help for the last resort for some unknown reason, and if utilized earlier, it could have saved us a lot of headaches and heartache. That is certainly my story. I waited until I could not get out of my knot without outside help. All would have been lost if not for the Virgin Mary. But it doesn’t matter how long it takes to reach out; it just matters that we do.
What is a knot?
In this account of Our Lady’s help, the term knot describes a crisis or problem in our lives that has us paralyzed and that we can no longer handle. I know there are people with knots much worse than the ones I have had.
Nevertheless, we all have them, and the severity doesn’t matter. I didn’t care if somebody was out there with a problem worse than mine. I just wanted mine gone because I could see that it would ruin my life as I was on the path to a lot of trouble, and there was nothing I could do to stop it.
A knot can be any unconquerable problem
A knot can be an addiction problem. It can be a family relationship problem. It can be some event, maybe tragic, that we can’t seem to get over. A loss of a loved one, perhaps. Divorce. The list can go on forever. But the fact is we have them. And Jesus said what? No man is without sin; in my opinion, sin can cause some of this, and sometimes it just happens.
But the knots do not have to continue, at least not at their current level. We can exercise the Mary Undoer of Knots Prayer and Novena and, I believe, receive help from Our Lady or at her direction.
Rest assured that we and our problems are very important to Our Lady. I learned this through experience. Her intentions are solely for what is best for us, expecting nothing in return.
Isn’t that what love is? Sure it is. If we take our problems to her, and she helps us, we should be thankful and gracious. Consider giving her the opportunity of being involved in doing something for you that is impossible for you to do for yourself. It will change your life as it did mine.
If she came to my aid ...
If she came to my aid, and she did (read my conversion story A Catholic Conversion), she can come to yours. We just need to get started; in this case, the prayers are laid out for us – the prayers and the Novena. If we refuse to address our knots and let it continue as I did, the problem will persist and get worse.
Suffering Under The Knot
One can look back on the knots in their lives and see that what started as a small tangle grew and grew through time and became this massive problem that it is today. The problem can make one feel as though they are trapped, and they cannot get out of the entanglement they are caught in and stuck in the spider’s web waiting to be consumed.
It seems like the suffering gets more and more of a burden and heavier to carry. I have been there. The things I carried around for over forty years, thinking I was free the entire time, only to come to my senses, through the aid of the Virgin Mary, to realize I was trapped.
But we continue down the road, tolerating our knot and suffering the entire way until it dominates us and becomes too much for us to handle. That is precisely the route I took. I became a slave to my vices, and I could not get myself released no matter how hard I tried.
Light at the End of the Tunnel
Fortunately for us, there is hope. We can access all we need to make and have a productive and prosperous life.
We can also, more importantly, have a spiritual walk through this life beyond our imagination. I have discovered that more is available to get me to the spiritual level I need to be on than I ever knew existed.
The most significant problem seems to be believing that our problems can be solved so we can live in the true freedom that Jesus desires our lives to be filled with. Actually, for me, it was believing that someone was there that is willing to help me. That question and more got answered for me.
Story of Wolfgang Langenmantel and His Wife
This story dates back to the 1600s about a gentleman name Wolfgang Langenmantel who lived from 1586 – 1637. His wife, Sophie Imhoff, wanted a divorce, and obviously, he did not want to give her up.
He went to a priest, Jakob Rem, a proponent of Our Lady, and said that he had experienced apparitions from her. Once per week, they would meet and petition Our Lady to help save Langenmantel’s marriage.
In the last week, Langenmantel brought his wife, Sophie, with him to meet with the priest. Langenmantel also brought his marriage ribbon with him and gave it to Fr. Rem.
Years before, during the marriage ceremony, the maid of honor tied the bride and groom’s arms together to symbolize their union and the ribbon they kept. Father Rem held it in front of a portrait of Our Lady of the Snows and untied the knots. It became an intense white.
Because of this, the marriage was saved.
Commissioned Painting
Around 1700, Johann Melchior Georg Schmittdner, an artist, was commissioned to provide a painting for the family altar of the ancestors of Wolfgang Langenmantel. Wolfgang and Sophie’s story was the picture’s subject and depicted the Virgin Mary untieing the knots of a white ribbon with angels assisting. It is below.
The work above demonstrates a gift Our Lady will give those who request her to help them.
I must emphasize “request” here out of her respect for our free will. We must ask her. She cannot help us if we do not ask her. It took me a while to learn this very valuable lesson.
Today, when I request her outside of my daily Rosary, it is a tremendous honor for me to bring my petition to her. My respect and admiration for her are so great that to give her a request is a significant event for me. If you read A Catholic Conversion, you will understand why this is so.
And when blessings are provided, it is reverent to say Thank You (we must not forget that we need to be thankful and gracious) to all of those involved (that would probably be Jesus and Mary), especially if they do something for you that you cannot do for yourself.
Mary Undoer of Knots Prayer
O Virgin Mary,
Mother who never refuses to come to the help of your children in need,
Mother whose hands never stop working for the welfare of your children,
moved as they are by the loving mercy and kindness that exists in your Immaculate Heart,
cast your compassionate and merciful eyes on me and see the snarl of knots that exists in my life.
Oh, Mother! You know the difficulties, sorrow, and pain that I’ve had because of them.
O loving Mother, I place the ribbon of my life and this knot (these knots) into your loving hands,
hands which can undo even the most difficult knot.
Most holy Mother,
come to my aid and intercede for me before God with your prayers.
I cast this knot into your hands (mention your intention/need) and beg you to undo it,
in the name of your Son, Jesus Christ, and for the glory of God, once and for all.
Our Lady, Undoer of Knots, pray for us!
Consider This ... Mary Undoer of Knots Video
Mary Undoer of Knots Novena - 9 Days
There is a Novena (Novena definition is found here) for Mary, Undoer of knots. Recently, I completed the Novena of Mary Undoer of Knots and I kept a short diary on my experiences. I would encourage all, catholic or protestant (remember, Our Lady made herself known to me when I was protestant) to take your needs to the Virgin Mary through this Novena. I did and my request was granted. This is a link to the Mary Undoer of Knots Novena.
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