St Bernadette Church, Bayou Vista
Mary Mother of God
Theme: Mary, Untier of Knots: A Mother Who Understands
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One of the most beautiful reasons why so many people turn to the Blessed Virgin Mary is because she understands the tangled nature of human life. Our lives, like ribbons, can become knotted by conflict, fear, broken relationships, sin, uncertainty, and suffering. When we feel trapped or overwhelmed, Mary stands before us not as a distant figure, but as a loving mother who patiently helps to untie what we cannot.
A powerful story from history illustrates this devotion. In the early seventeenth century, a nobleman named Wolfgang from Bavaria sought help from a Jesuit priest, Father Jakob Rem. His marriage was on the verge of collapse, and separation would have brought scandal and deep pain. Father Rem asked Wolfgang to bring the long white ribbon used at his wedding. Inspired by the words of Saint Irenaeus—“The knot of Eve’s disobedience was loosed by the obedience of Mary”—the priest prayed over the ribbon and entrusted the couple’s struggles to the Virgin Mary. Through her intercession, the knots in their marriage were loosened, and the couple remained together.
Years later, an artist captured this story in a striking image: Mary gently untying knots in a ribbon, assisted by angels, while calmly crushing the head of the serpent beneath her foot. The knots symbolized the many human entanglements that bind us—sin, pride, fear, and brokenness. This image, now known as Mary, Untier of Knots, reminds us that no problem is too complicated for God’s grace when we place it in Mary’s hands.
What makes this devotion so powerful is its simplicity. Mary does not tear the ribbon apart. She does not scold or rush. She patiently unties each knot, one by one. This is how God works in our lives. Healing often comes gradually, through prayer, trust, and perseverance. Mary teaches us that obedience, humility, and faith can loosen even the tightest knots.
In our own time, this devotion has become a living catechesis of faith. People from all walks of life—families, young people, the sick, and those burdened by anxiety—come to Mary because they recognize their need for God’s grace. They come carrying the knots of sin, broken relationships, fear, and uncertainty, trusting that these burdens can be placed in the hands of a loving Mother who intercedes for them.
The Church teaches that Mary’s role is always to lead us to her Son. As a mother in the order of grace, she listens to the cries of her children and presents their needs to Jesus Christ. Mary neither replaces Christ nor acts apart from him; her intercession flows entirely from her unique relationship with him. As at the wedding feast of Cana, she recognizes our need and directs us to her Son with faith, saying, “Do whatever he tells you.”
Just as Mary’s obedience untied the knot of Eve’s disobedience, so too our trust in God, aided by Mary’s prayers, allows grace to loosen the knots in our own lives. Those who approach her with faith often leave strengthened—not because all problems vanish immediately, but because they receive peace, clarity, and renewed trust in God’s providence.
Today, we are invited to place our own ribbons in Mary’s hands. What knots weigh on your heart? A strained relationship? A family conflict? Fear about the future? Guilt from the past? Bring them to her. Trust that she will intercede for you according to God’s will.
Let us remember: the same God who transformed the obedience of Mary into salvation for the world can transform our struggles into blessings. May we have the faith to surrender our tangled lives to her loving care.
Mary, loving Mother and Untier of Knots, I place the tangled ribbon of my life into your hands.
Intercede for me before your Son, Jesus Christ, that the knots of sin, fear, and struggle may be loosened according to God’s will. Teach me trust, patience, and obedience, and lead me always to Jesus, the source of healing, peace, and hope. Mary, Untier of Knots, pray for me.
Amen.
