Our Lady Untier of Knots: A Personal Reflection

In reflecting on the Feast of the Epiphany earlier today with the three kings finding the Child Jesus in the arms of His mother, Mary, I began my afternoon prayers. One of my routine practices in the past 18 months or more is to pray to Our Lady Untier of Knots. In my quiet contemplation today, I thought of how I was introduced to this new prayer devotion and decided to share it with this audience.

It was a cold and blustery winter day when I ventured out in the afternoon to an appointment, and needing a break from writing, I decided to stop at my church. My parish has been mentioned in other articles I have done in the past, it is a vibrant place filled with wonderful people. My local parish has a Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration Chapel where you could stop in at any point, twenty four hours a day, to spend time with Our Lord. My car basically drove itself (thanks to the Holy Spirit) there that winter afternoon.

I entered the Adoration Chapel and knelt prostrate before the Blessed Sacrament. I found a place to sit, and there were about five or six other people there in silent prayer and reverence. It was at this point in my life that I was dealing with chronic pain from a medical situation coupled with the news that my wife and I had to make an expensive car repair.

I was feeling some definite despair and it is in those times where I turn to the hope and the peace that can only be found in Our Lord Jesus Christ. The Adoration Chapel at my parish church is a very peaceful place. My father-in-law was actively involved in organizing it when the chapel began about 17 years ago. I would accompany him to his weekly Adoration hour and became overwhelmed by the calming presence of the Lord when I spent time there.

I started going there on my own when I felt my day get particularly turbulent or to pray for the special intentions of my family and others I know who were in need. The hours spent in Adoration sparked the inspiration for my poem “Blessed” which was published on this website in 2015.

Anyway, back to that cold and windy winter afternoon where I was feeling anxiety from the weight of the world. I was praying in my seat and I must have looked especially distressed because an older woman who was praying in the next row over from me approached me. She said softly (because the chapel is a quiet place) “I noticed that you look really upset. I think this will help you.” The woman handed me a prayer card with the Blessed Virgin Mary on it with angels surrounding her, it was beautiful, and I remember being shocked because I never met this woman before.

She continued by saying, “This prayer is to Our Lady Untier of Knots. Pope Francis has a strong devotion to this prayer and it is offered to Our Lady for Her help in all the knots or problems in life. I think you can benefit from that.” I was still a bit surprised that this lady took the time to approach me and managed to say, “thank you”. She left me to pray. It was the first time I had heard of this prayer or this devotion. I gazed on the statue of Our Blessed Mother inside the chapel and recited the prayer, which toward the end has a line where you offer your specific needs or intentions.

I felt so much better when I was finished, I felt a great weight being lifted from me. I continued to pray and then just talk with Jesus as I usually do when I am in the intimate confines of the Adoration Chapel. I vented my problems and asked for His help. I felt the anxiety and despair melt away.

After spending about an hour there, I was preparing to leave and get back to some writing projects I was working on at that time. I approached the lady to return her prayer card. She saw me coming over and said, “Please keep it. I feel I was meant to give it to you.” I thanked her again and wished her God’s blessings and left the warm and cozy confines of the Adoration Chapel for the cold and bitter afternoon. However, I was emboldened and warmed by the kindness of a stranger and the love of Jesus. I was given proof and hope that we are all One Body of Christ. I had the distinct understanding that all my problems would somehow work themselves out.

In the weeks immediately following that winter afternoon, my problems with the car repair did get resolved without issue. My medical issues are ongoing, I still deal with pain every day, but have improved somewhat through what I attribute to the power of prayer.

In the months since that day, my devotion to Our Lady Untier of Knots has assisted me in resolving many “knots” in my life that have been troublesome or worrisome to me. In other stages of my life those same issues would have potentially derailed some of the progress I was trying to make. This prayer devotion has helped me to “stay on the path” so to speak.

The prayer card with the image of Our Lady Untier of Knots still sits on my desk next to my keyboard, where it is a daily reminder of the kind deed done to me when I was in pretty desperate need. The devotion is relatively new for the Church, about 300 years, and it is different, because it is not based on a Marian apparition of any kind.

However, it is the fastest growing prayer devotion in the Catholic Church and it is fitting to the times in which we live. If you feel despair or frustration or anxiety over any number of problems in your life, then this prayer devotion should be added to your regular, daily prayers. Our Lady can help you through any of those issues or dilemmas from discord in your family, unemployment, substance abuse, emotional distress, some difficult financial burden, or depression.

Our Lady comes with the promise that she can deliver us, her children, from the evils and burdens of this fallen world. Our Lady comes with the joy and hope of her Son, and that is the best news of all! I encourage you all to consider adding this devotion to Our Lady Untier of Knots to your regular prayer routine, and if you do not have a regular routine, this prayer is a great starting point.

I wish you all the peace that comes from Our Lady and Her Son, Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in this Christmas season. I will continue to pray that Our Lady Untier of Knots will untie the “knots” that complicate your lives. May God bless you and your families and may that blessing remain with you throughout the New Year ahead.