(Photo Credit Crawford Jolly – Unsplash)
By Holly Gustafson
Our Lady, Undoer of Knots is one of my favourite titles of Mary (and I’m in good company – it’s one of Pope Francis’ favourite, too!). The story goes that in the 18th century, a German couple on the verge of divorce prayed for Mary’s intercession to untie and smooth all the knots that were causing turmoil in their marriage; when, after 28 days of prayer, their marriage was healed, the Baroque painter Johann Georg Melchior Schmidtner was commissioned to create a painting in honour of Mary, Undoer of Knots. (The painting hangs in St. Peter am Perlach Church in Augsburg, Germany.)
But the story of Our Lady, Undoer of Knots actually goes back all the way to the second century. St. Irenaeus of Lyon was an early bishop of the Church: he was a third-generation disciple, being a disciple of St. Polycarp, who was a direct disciple of none other than St. John. And although we don’t know much about St. Irenaeus’ life, we do know, from his numerous writings, what he believed and taught. As a second century bishop, St. Irenaeus had the complicated and challenging job of guiding the early Church, full of a bunch of people still trying to wrap their heads around Christianity, and a decent number of heretics steering the Church askew. If we think defending the faith is hard, imagine trying to do it only a hundred or so years after Christ’s death, without the privilege of two millennia of Church wisdom.
We don’t really know what type of person St. Irenaeus really was, but his writings demonstrate, above all, a confidence in the victory of Christ and His Church. “He fought and conquered,” he simply states. “For He is our compassionate and merciful Lord Who loves us.” I can’t help but think that if I had just a small percentage of St. Irenaeus’ confident faith, I’d probably be a lot more hope-filled, and a lot less worried about the state of my family, the Church, and the world. Because Christ fought and conquered; He has already won.
St. Irenaeus is also considered one of the first “Mariologists,” and was known for connecting the new and old testaments through the relationship of Eve and Mary. In Adversus Haereses (Against Heresies) he writes the passage that inspired Schmidtner’s painting:
“And thus also it was that the knot of Eve’s disobedience was loosed by the obedience of Mary. For what the virgin Eve had bound fast through unbelief, the virgin Mary set free through faith.”
Mary’s faith unties the knots. I try to remind myself of this when I feel tangled up in the most twisted of knots, the most complicated issues within my marriage or my family. If I had to rely on my own faith, I’d have no hope at all, but time and time again, when I’ve turned, unabashedly hopeless, to Our Lady, Undoer of Knots, I’ve found myself, somehow, miraculously, on the other side, the knot untied, the ribbon smooth.
I wish I could say that each time this happens, my faith is strengthened, and I trust more and more in the victory of Christ, by unfortunately, I can be really forgetful when it comes to miracles – when a new knot appears in my life, I tend to forget all about the smooth, untangled ribbon behind me. That’s ok: the many saints who go before me, like St. Irenaeus, have confidence enough to share some with me, and it’s Mary’s faith, not my own fragile one, that loosens the knots that come along with family life, and with life in general. I just have to have enough faith to hand them to her.
For the toughest knots, pray a novena to Mary, Undoer of Knots. I promise they’ll be at least a little loosened by the end of the nine days.
 |
Holly Gustafson lives with her husband, James, and their five children, in Regina, where they attend Christ the King Parish. Holly received her Masters in Linguistics at the University of Manitoba, and now pursues her love of language through art, writing, public speaking, and unsolicited grammatical advice. The best advice she ever received was from her spiritual friend, St. Faustina, who told her that when in doubt, “Always ask Love. It advises best.” |
