Our Lady, Undoer of Knots Novena #9

Day Nine

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. 

You know very well the suffering it has caused me. Thank you for coming, Mother, with your long fingers of mercy to dry the tears in my eyes; you receive me in your arms and make it possible for me to receive once again the divine grace. Mary, Undoer of Knots, dearest Mother, I thank you for undoing the knots in my life. Wrap me in your mantle of love, keep me under your protection, enlighten me with your peace! Amen.

Mary, Undoer of Knots, pray for me.

Virgin Mary, Mother of fair love, Mother who never refuses to come to the aid of a child in need, Mother whose hands never cease to serve your beloved children because they are moved by the divine love and immense mercy that exist in your heart, cast your compassionate eyes upon me and see the snarl of knots that exists in my life. You know very well how desperate I am, my pain, and how I am bound by these knots. Mary, Mother to whom G'D entrusted the undoing of the knots in the lives of His children, I entrust into your hands the ribbon of my life. No one, not even the evil one himself, can take it away from your precious care. In your hands there is no knot that cannot be undone. Powerful Mother, by your grace and intercessory power with your Son and my Liberator, Jesus, take into your hands today this knot.

[Mention your request here]

I beg you to undo it for the glory of G'D, once for all. You are my hope.

O my Lady, you are the only consolation G'D gives me, the fortification of my feeble strength, the enrichment of my destitution, and, with Christ, the freedom from my chains.

Hear my plea.

Keep me, guide me, protect me, o safe refuge!

Mary, Undoer of Knots, pray for me.

Amen.

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. 

Our Lady, Undoer of Knots Novena #8

Day Eight

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. 

Virgin Mother of G'D, overflowing with mercy, have mercy on your child and undo this knot [mention your request here] in my life.

Mary, Undoer of Knots, pray for me.

Virgin Mary, Mother of fair love, Mother who never refuses to come to the aid of a child in need, Mother whose hands never cease to serve your beloved children because they are moved by the divine love and immense mercy that exist in your heart, cast your compassionate eyes upon me and see the snarl of knots that exists in my life. You know very well how desperate I am, my pain, and how I am bound by these knots. Mary, Mother to whom G'D entrusted the undoing of the knots in the lives of His children, I entrust into your hands the ribbon of my life. No one, not even the evil one himself, can take it away from your precious care. In your hands there is no knot that cannot be undone. Powerful Mother, by your grace and intercessory power with your Son and my Liberator, Jesus, take into your hands today this knot.

[Mention your request here]

I beg you to undo it for the glory of G'D, once for all. You are my hope.

O my Lady, you are the only consolation G'D gives me, the fortification of my feeble strength, the enrichment of my destitution, and, with Christ, the freedom from my chains.

Hear my plea.

Keep me, guide me, protect me, o safe refuge!

Mary, Undoer of Knots, pray for me.

Amen.

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. 

Our Lady, Undoer of Knots Novena #7

 Day Seven

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. 

Mother Most Pure, I come to You today to beg you to undo this knot in my life [mention your request here] and free me from the snares of evil.

Mary, Undoer of Knots, pray for me.

Virgin Mary, Mother of fair love, Mother who never refuses to come to the aid of a child in need, Mother whose hands never cease to serve your beloved children because they are moved by the divine love and immense mercy that exist in your heart, cast your compassionate eyes upon me and see the snarl of knots that exists in my life. You know very well how desperate I am, my pain, and how I am bound by these knots. Mary, Mother to whom G'D entrusted the undoing of the knots in the lives of His children, I entrust into your hands the ribbon of my life. No one, not even the evil one himself, can take it away from your precious care. In your hands there is no knot that cannot be undone. Powerful Mother, by your grace and intercessory power with your Son and my Liberator, Jesus, take into your hands today this knot.

[Mention your request here]

I beg you to undo it for the glory of G'D, once for all. You are my hope.

O my Lady, you are the only consolation G'D gives me, the fortification of my feeble strength, the enrichment of my destitution, and, with Christ, the freedom from my chains.

Hear my plea.

Keep me, guide me, protect me, o safe refuge!

Mary, Undoer of Knots, pray for me.

Amen.

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. 

Our Lady, Undoer of Knots Novena #6

Day Six

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. 

Queen of Mercy, I entrust to you this knot in my life [mention your request here] and I ask you to give me a heart that is patient until you undo it.

Mary, Undoer of Knots, pray for me.

Virgin Mary, Mother of fair love, Mother who never refuses to come to the aid of a child in need, Mother whose hands never cease to serve your beloved children because they are moved by the divine love and immense mercy that exist in your heart, cast your compassionate eyes upon me and see the snarl of knots that exists in my life. You know very well how desperate I am, my pain, and how I am bound by these knots. Mary, Mother to whom G'D entrusted the undoing of the knots in the lives of His children, I entrust into your hands the ribbon of my life. No one, not even the evil one himself, can take it away from your precious care. In your hands there is no knot that cannot be undone. Powerful Mother, by your grace and intercessory power with your Son and my Liberator, Jesus, take into your hands today this knot.

[Mention your request here]

I beg you to undo it for the glory of G'D, once for all. You are my hope.

O my Lady, you are the only consolation G'D gives me, the fortification of my feeble strength, the enrichment of my destitution, and, with Christ, the freedom from my chains.

Hear my plea.

Keep me, guide me, protect me, o safe refuge!

Mary, Undoer of Knots, pray for me.

Amen.

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. 

Our Lady, Undoer of Knots Novena #5

Day Five

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. 

Mother, Undoer of Knots, generous and compassionate, I come to You today to once again entrust this knot [mention your request here] in my life to you and to ask the divine wisdom to undo, under the light of the Holy Spirit, this snarl of problems.

Mary, Undoer of Knots, pray for me.

Virgin Mary, Mother of fair love, Mother who never refuses to come to the aid of a child in need, Mother whose hands never cease to serve your beloved children because they are moved by the divine love and immense mercy that exist in your heart, cast your compassionate eyes upon me and see the snarl of knots that exists in my life. You know very well how desperate I am, my pain, and how I am bound by these knots. Mary, Mother to whom G'D entrusted the undoing of the knots in the lives of His children, I entrust into your hands the ribbon of my life. No one, not even the evil one himself, can take it away from your precious care. In your hands there is no knot that cannot be undone. Powerful Mother, by your grace and intercessory power with your Son and my Liberator, Jesus, take into your hands today this knot.

[Mention your request here]

I beg you to undo it for the glory of G'D, once for all. You are my hope.

O my Lady, you are the only consolation G'D gives me, the fortification of my feeble strength, the enrichment of my destitution, and, with Christ, the freedom from my chains.

Hear my plea.

Keep me, guide me, protect me, o safe refuge!

Mary, Undoer of Knots, pray for me.

Amen.

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. 

Our Lady, Undoer of Knots Novena #4

Day Four

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. 

Dearest Holy Mother, you are generous with all who seek you, have mercy on me. I entrust into your hands this knot which robs the peace of my heart, paralyzes my soul and keeps me from going to my Lord and serving Him with my life.

Mary, Undoer of Knots, pray for me.

Virgin Mary, Mother of fair love, Mother who never refuses to come to the aid of a child in need, Mother whose hands never cease to serve your beloved children because they are moved by the divine love and immense mercy that exist in your heart, cast your compassionate eyes upon me and see the snarl of knots that exists in my life. You know very well how desperate I am, my pain, and how I am bound by these knots. Mary, Mother to whom G'D entrusted the undoing of the knots in the lives of His children, I entrust into your hands the ribbon of my life. No one, not even the evil one himself, can take it away from your precious care. In your hands there is no knot that cannot be undone. Powerful Mother, by your grace and intercessory power with your Son and my Liberator, Jesus, take into your hands today this knot.

[Mention your request here]

I beg you to undo it for the glory of G'D, once for all. You are my hope.

O my Lady, you are the only consolation G'D gives me, the fortification of my feeble strength, the enrichment of my destitution, and, with Christ, the freedom from my chains.

Hear my plea.

Keep me, guide me, protect me, o safe refuge!

Mary, Undoer of Knots, pray for me.

Amen.

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. 

Our Lady, Undoer of Knots Novena #3

Day Three

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. 

Meditating Mother, Queen of heaven, in whose hands the treasures of the King are found, turn your merciful eyes upon me today. I entrust into your holy hands this knot in my life [mention your request here] and all the rancor and resentment it has caused in me.

Mary, Undoer of Knots, pray for me.

Virgin Mary, Mother of fair love, Mother who never refuses to come to the aid of a child in need, Mother whose hands never cease to serve your beloved children because they are moved by the divine love and immense mercy that exist in your heart, cast your compassionate eyes upon me and see the snarl of knots that exists in my life. You know very well how desperate I am, my pain, and how I am bound by these knots. Mary, Mother to whom G'D entrusted the undoing of the knots in the lives of His children, I entrust into your hands the ribbon of my life. No one, not even the evil one himself, can take it away from your precious care. In your hands there is no knot that cannot be undone. Powerful Mother, by your grace and intercessory power with your Son and my Liberator, Jesus, take into your hands today this knot.

[Mention your request here]

I beg you to undo it for the glory of G'D, once for all. You are my hope.

O my Lady, you are the only consolation G'D gives me, the fortification of my feeble strength, the enrichment of my destitution, and, with Christ, the freedom from my chains.

Hear my plea.

Keep me, guide me, protect me, o safe refuge!

Mary, Undoer of Knots, pray for me.

Amen.

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. 

Our Lady, Undoer of Knots Novena #2

Day Two

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. 

Mary, Beloved Mother, channel of all grace, I return to you today my heart, recognizing that I am a sinner in need of your help. I entrust into your hands this knot [mention your request here] which keeps me from reflecting the glory of G'D.

Mary, Undoer of Knots, pray for me.

Virgin Mary, Mother of fair love, Mother who never refuses to come to the aid of a child in need, Mother whose hands never cease to serve your beloved children because they are moved by the divine love and immense mercy that exist in your heart, cast your compassionate eyes upon me and see the snarl of knots that exists in my life. You know very well how desperate I am, my pain, and how I am bound by these knots. Mary, Mother to whom G'D entrusted the undoing of the knots in the lives of His children, I entrust into your hands the ribbon of my life. No one, not even the evil one himself, can take it away from your precious care. In your hands there is no knot that cannot be undone. Powerful Mother, by your grace and intercessory power with your Son and my Liberator, Jesus, take into your hands today this knot.

[Mention your request here]

I beg you to undo it for the glory of G'D, once for all. You are my hope.

O my Lady, you are the only consolation G'D gives me, the fortification of my feeble strength, the enrichment of my destitution, and, with Christ, the freedom from my chains.

Hear my plea.

Keep me, guide me, protect me, o safe refuge!

Mary, Undoer of Knots, pray for me.

Amen.

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. 

What is a Novena? & How to Pray One/Our Lady, Undoer of Knots Novena #1

"Maria! Joseph! Come on downstairs!"

It's seven o'clock in the Pluta household. A cotton-candy sunset has painted the sky, the golden light of sun saying its final goodbye as it disappears behind the mountains for the night. Papa, Mama, and Elisha are gathered in the living room, and they listen as Maria and Joseph, the two eldest, come running down the stairs from the top floor. Maria leans backwards into the couch until she has fallen into place beside her father, and Joseph plops down on the floor at his mother's feet. Maria pulls her tiny wooden rosary from a pocket, a present gifted to her by her parents just before she began first grade the year before.

"Not today, love," Mama says, resting a hand over her six-year-old daughter's rosary-wrapped one. "Today, we'll be praying a little differently."

Maria cocks her head and looks with curiosity at her parents. 

"Today, we are going to begin a novena," Papa declares. 

"What's a novena?" Joseph pipes up from the floor, his head resting on Mama's knee. 

"Here, we'll teach you as we go along..." Mama says, and she and Papa reverently make the sign of the cross. 

Wrapped Around Our Fingers

"The Rosary is a chain which links heaven and earth."

- Saint Therese of Lisieux

In 1208, Saint Dominic was granted the gift of the rosary by Our Lady, supplying to the human race a simple devotion through which many graces could be ferried to the Church. As ages passed, the humble string of beads became one of the most common prayers of the Catholic Church, being recited in pairs, families, and congregations across the globe. The rosary has become a staple of the religious habit, being suspended on the belts of Dominicans, Franciscans, Carmelites, and various others. The rosary is not a devotion which sits in the shadows of our faith, but is prominently depicted everywhere we turn. 

For many Catholics, it can be difficult to truly understand the beauty of the rosary. We know that praying it comes with a myriad of spiritual benefits and that Our Lady constantly requests that the people of earth pray it fervently for the conversion of sinners, but it can be hard to truly appreciate this "monotonous" prayer...until you're faced with its beauty head-on by someone who is already in love with it. 

This school year, I was blessed with a particularly wonderful chemistry teacher. A man who always begins class with a smile and a prayer, Mr. Chaves truly inspired me to explore deeper the devotion of the rosary. As a chemistry teacher, Mr. Chaves checks all the boxes - he teaches us students in a personable way and helps us to understand when we just can't wrap our minds around the mystery that is chemistry. As a Catholic, Mr. Chaves checks all those boxes too. Often, before class, he finds a way to stick in a quick plug about the awesome gift of the rosary. One can easily see the Christlike joy radiating from Mr. Chaves' smile, and he daily works to emulate the virtues of Our Lord. I have no doubt that every day, when Mr. Chaves prays the rosary, he prays it for us. 

My family always prays the rosary together in the evenings, and, as cradle-Catholics, all of my siblings and I have spent this family time going through the motions and saying the words on repeat, without truly knowing what we are saying. The beauty of "Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee..." - it all goes over our heads! But there comes a point in every Catholic's journey where we come to embrace the rosary as Our Lady's hand in ours and depend on it for strength throughout our days. 

If you are reading this and have not yet realized the true beauty of this hymn to Our Mother, then I encourage you to continue praying it, to continue asking for the guidance of Our Lady in all that you do. Wrap those 59 beads around your hand and feel Our Lady holding you there, watching over you. I promise she will never leave you alone, though it may feel like that in the moment. And one day, when all this is finished, we will be able to fall into the arms of Our Blessed Mother and truly feel her there, with us. 

Mother of G'D, Mother of the Church, and Mother of Mine, pray for us!!!

Fiat Voluntas Tua (#1)

On her tiptoes, Maria Pluta reached up and plopped the floral wreath onto the statue's polished ceramic head. Airy Marian tunes echoed from the mouths of her mother and brothers, standing behind her. After crowning the motionless statue, she returned to stand beside her three-year-old brother Joseph. She looked to her mother, who was just then finishing singing Salve Regina with one-year-old Elisha getting antsy on her hip - squealing along, clapping two pudgy hands together as he did so. 

Six-year-old Maria joined in with Joseph as Mother began to pray the Hail Mary. Then, with a reverent cross as an example for her children, she released a squirming Elisha to the creaking wooden floorboards of their Wisconsin home. 

"See how happy Mary is?" Mother asked her children, still hanging around the family's altar, bedecked in peacock blue for the month of May. "You have made our mother so happy with your prayers."

Elisha let out a high pitched squeal and tore across the room, followed closely by Joseph, eager to take part in whatever his little brother was doing. 

"Would you like to come help me ice the cake, Maria?" Mother asked, noticing that Maria was still hovering near the altar. 

"Okay!" Maria exclaimed, her face lighting up with a smile as she raced into the kitchen. Her mother's blueberry bundt cake, which had been extracted from the oven about an hour before their ceremony, sat waiting on the counter beside a bowl of soupy white glaze. Blueberries, their color leaking out from their time in the oven, colored the cake's ridge a pleasant indigo. Grabbing a spatula from one of the many crocks scattered about the countertop, she dipped it into the bowl of glaze and watched it drip back to its container. Licking the spatula, she handed it to her mother, who was carefully sliding the cake from the tray it had been sitting on to their best cake stand. 

"Thank you, Maria," Mother said, taking the spatula from her eldest daughter's hands. "You did a wonderful job crowning Mary today. You made your patroness very, very happy."

"Patroness?" Maria asked curiously. 

"Yes," Mother said, dipping the spatula into the bowl. "With the name Maria, your patroness is our Blessed Mother - particularly Our Lady of Czestochowa. That's why you have her icon in your bedroom."

Maria thought about the icon in her bedroom. It was a tiny thing, somber in color, positioned over her dresser. She had often rubbed her hand across the burnished golden halos arcing over the heads of Mary and the Child Jesus. On the same image, she had traced her fingers across the two long slits running down Mary's darkened face. She had always assumed it had been dropped, but not long ago, her father had picked her up and told her the story of Our Lady of Czestochowa - how thieves had tried to steal it but could not, so they slashed it twice and ran away. Now, every icon of the Virgin of Czestochowa bore those two slashes. 

"When we named you, we asked Our Lady to protect you in a special way, and she has," Mother explained. "She has given you the grace to replicate her fiat, her yes, every day."

"Her yes?" Maria questioned, accepting the spatula from her mother and beginning to replicate the drizzling motions. 

"When the Angel Gabriel came to Mary in Nazareth, she could have said no to being the Mother of G'D. But instead of being saying no, Mary obeyed and trusted in His plan. I see you trusting G'D every day when you are obedient to me and Father and even to your siblings," Mother explained. "You see, Maria, Mary is your special example for how to be a saint, and so if you continue to learn about her and pray for her help, she will bless you and help you to say yes to G'D, as she did."

The cake, perfectly drizzled and looking as much like a crown as a bundt cake could, sat finished on the shining cake stand. Maria looked at it with happiness - she loved being with her mother, and she loved to make G'D happy. If doing what Mary did would make G'D happy, then she would do it for Him. 

Her mother carried the cake into the dining room, with Maria trailing afterwards. Her mind was filled with ideas of saying yes, just like Mary had...and she knew she had her patroness to guide her in making G'D happy!

"Mary said, 'Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to Your word.'

- Luke 1:38

Behold Your Mother

It was a warm night in Galilee. The small common room was lit only by the soft light of the moon, and by the candles that had been lit just before dinner earlier that night. Mary sat in a chair by one of the low-placed windows, her arm propping up her chin by means of the thick ledge. 

My G'D, Mary prayed, how great you are, to create something so beautiful.

Mary could stare for hours at the moon. It was those little things - the mystery of the moon beyond their world, the angelic whispering of the grass, the cool lapping of seawater on her bare feet - that brought her so much joy. She marveled at how beautiful it was...marveled at the love G'D would have to have to create something so beautiful for a people who had betrayed Him so often. She had seen that love first hand, no more than one year ago. And she had held, for 33 years, the tiny hands that had once shaped that same moon. 

A familiar longing pulled at Mary's heart as she thought of her Son...of that first night in Bethlehem during which she had first gazed upon the sleeping figure of her infant G'D. She recalled looking at her Son the way she had always looked at the moon - with awe, with joy, with peace, marveling at the great works of G'D...

It had never been easy being so far from Jesus. She knew, from the hour he ascended to His Father, that it would not be long before she joined Him in the Kingdom, but it pained her that she didn't know when. It was like walking with the shaky legs of a toddler - there was no one there to steady her!

Mary laughed to herself at the thought. For 33 years she had been Jesus' mother, but she always knew she relied on Him in a way other parents didn't...He had always been so quick to help, so eager to take away her burdens..."Let me carry that, Mama!" He would exclaim, running over to take away whatever difficult thing she had been carrying at the time. 

Then one day, just a year ago, He had taken away everyone's heaviest burden - their sin - and now Mary was alone. Since He had gone, she wondered all the time why she was still there...hadn't her work been to raise the Son of G'D? Was the plan of G'D really to leave her here, after all the work was done, to wait for Him to call her home?

But I trust You, Lord, she murmured to herself, I know You have something wonderful for me here, still...

Just then, the front door opened and John strode in, a pail of water in his arms. Mary looked away from the window and smiled at her son. 

"You can set it down there, John," she announced, standing up. "I'll take care of it."

"Thank you, Mother," he said, respectfully. "But I can do it."

Mary sat back down in the rickety wooden chair, the one thing she had brought with her from Nazareth, and the one thing she still had from Joseph...

She watched carefully as John rinsed their supper plates in the lukewarm water and set them to dry on the table in the center of the room. Mary admired him greatly for his courage - John had done so much, already, for the Christians. Even through the constant persecution they faced for their faith in Jesus, John had remained strong. She was worried at first - the oppression began so quickly, after all! - but with men like John heading the effort to bring the Good News to others, she couldn't imagine it collapsing. And she knew it wouldn't - her Son had brought the truth to Galilee, and she was sure, soon, it would be shared with the whole world. 

"Well, I'm off to bed, Mother," John said with a smile. 

"Sleep well, John," Mary replied, smiling back. "Don't worry - I'll blow out the candles for you."

John nodded and headed through a door on the back wall, leaving Mary, again, to her thoughts. She continued her wondering about the will of G'D for her - He had not left her alone, He had left her with a task...but what?

Woman, behold your son...

The remembered words echoed softly in Mary's heart. She remembered that moment as clearly as she knew her own name. She recalled the brutal anguish of seeing her Son on the Cross, dying, the weight of the sins of millions on His strong, carpenter's shoulders. She recalled the horror of His final breath, the anger at seeing His body so disfigured, the heaviness in her heart as the stone tomb was closed by that large stone...but most of all, she remembered His words, which she kept hidden in her heart. 

My son? She remembered thinking. But You are my Son! And now I have nothing left!

They need a mother, the little voice whispered again. Someone to do for them as you did for Me. Someone to cry to, someone to bandage their wounds, someone to hold them in their desperation...

A mother? Mary breathed. Am I to be their mother too?

But the little voice did not respond. Mary thought deeply, turning from the moon and putting her head in her hands. Surely He meant the Christians...was she called to be a mother to His children? To guide them, encourage them...to teach them to love her Son?

Lord, she prayed. This must surely be Your plan for me. Help me to love them as You love them...

Standing up, Mary pushed the chair back to its place under the dish-covered table. Smiling to herself, she again recalled the memory of holding her Son in her arms for the very first time. Had He called her to do that again? 

Yes, He had...and there was so much work to be done!

And son...behold your mother!