Around 1700, a German artist named Johann Georg Melchior Schmidtner painted Mary patiently untying the knots of a long white ribbon held by angels. It hangs in the church of St Peter am Perlach in Augsburg. The idea goes back to St Irenaeus in the second century, who wrote that “the knot of Eve’s disobedience was loosed by the obedience of Mary.” Pope Francis saw the painting as a student in Germany and brought the devotion back to Argentina, where it became hugely popular.
Historical Context
A Knot Prayer
Lord, my life is tangled.
I’ve pulled at these knots and only made them tighter.
I give them to you: the knots in my mind, my heart, my relationships and my plans.
Untie them, one at a time, with your patient hands.
Help me stop pulling and let you work.
Amen.
To Mary, Undoer of Knots
Holy Mary, your yes to God untied the knot of Eve’s no.
I bring you this knot in my life: (name it).
Take it in your hands, and untie it, as only a mother can.
Mary, Undoer of Knots, pray for me.
Amen.
For Tying the Knot
Lord, as this couple ties the knot,
be the third strand in their cord,
so their marriage is not quickly broken.
Amen.
Best Times for This Prayer
- When a problem seems impossible to untangle.
- As a nine-day novena to Mary, Undoer of Knots.
- At a wedding or engagement.
Scripture Connection
“And if one prevail against him, two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken.” — Ecclesiastes 4:12
Some knots hold us together, like marriage with God at its centre. Others hold us back. Prayer asks God to strengthen the first kind and untie the second.
Related prayers
For marriage, see the Prayer for Commitment and Mother of the Bride Prayer. For Mary, Ecce Ancilla.