Collection: Mary, Undoer of Knots

ARTIST: Brenda Nippert

ARTWORK NARRATIVE:

This title of Mary has become extremely popular and is a favorite of Pope Francis. As a young student in Germany, the Pope saw the baroque style painting from around 1700 by Johann Georg Melchoir Schmidner (1625-1707), the painting is venerated in the Perlach church in Augsburg, Bavaria, Germany. The idea of the blessed Mother patiently untying the knots we bring to her and smoothing our lives, touched the heart of the future Pope and he brought the devotion back to Latin America and promoted it there. The local German devotion has become a world-wide sensation.

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To show us the mission granted to the Virgin Mary by Her Son, an unknown artist painted Mary Undoer of Knots with great grace. Since 1700, his painting has been venerated in the Church of St. Peter in Perlack, Germany. It was originally inspired by a meditation of Saint Irenaeus (Bishop of Lyon and martyred in 202) based on the parallel made by Saint Paul between Adam and Christ. Saint Irenaeus, in turn, made a comparison between Eve and Mary, saying:

"Eve, by her disobedience, tied the knot of disgrace for the human race; whereas Mary, by her obedience, undid it".
But what are these knots?
They are the problems and struggles we face for which we do not see any solution.

Knots of discord in your family, lack of understanding between parents and children, disrespect, violence, the knots of deep hurts between husband and wife, the absence of peace and joy at home. They are also the knots of anguish and despair of separated couples, the dissolution of the family, the knots of a drug addict son or daughter, sick or separated from home or God, knots of alcoholism, the practice of abortion, depression, unemployment, fear, solitude...Ah, the knots of our life! How they suffocate the soul, beat us down and betray the heart's joy and separate us from God. We all have some “knots" in our lives... and Mary can untie them!

The devotion to Mary, Undoer of Knots has become more popular ever since Pope Francis encouraged the devotion in Argentina, and then spoke about it during his first year as pontiff.

Mary's faith unties the knot of sin!