Undoer of knots

By Kim Ae-ran “Be a doer, not a dreamer!” It is a saying that inspires us to be a doer. The apostle James also advises us to put the words of God into practice by being “doers of the word” (James 1:22). We are encouraged to be more constructive and productive by being a faithful doer.

At the same time, we are inspired to be an undoer. What does it mean to be an undoer? In what way can we become an undoer? Some of us might have a difficult time untangling complicated knots of threads, hoses, and sometimes even relationships. As you know, untying knots takes a lot of time, energy, patience and prayer.



When the tangles are twisted, quick-tempered people can simply cut them away. Only those who are calm, patient and generous can undo the tangles one by one with enduring perseverance. Solving and untangling the knots of human relationships take time and patience because relationships need considerable effort, along with an even more challenging process of understanding, acceptance, forgiveness, reconciliation and letting go.

There is a Baroque-styled painting of a woman untangling a long ribbon in the Catholic Pilgrimage Church of St. Peter and Perlach in Augsburg, Bavaria in Germany. Johann Georg Melchior Schmidtner (1625-1707) painted it around 1700, commissioned by Hieronymus Ambrosius Langenmantel.

The Blessed Virgin Mary stands on the crescent moon in this painting. The Holy Spirit in the form of a dove is above her, while angels surround her. Her foot tramples the head of a knotted snake, representing the Devil, yet Mary is focused on untying knots from a long ribbon.

Below Mary, a little human walks together with the Angel Raphael. He is interpreted as Tobias in the Book of Tobit in the Old Testament. He is also interpreted as Wolfgang Langenmantel (1586-1637), the grandfather of Hieronymus Ambrosius Langenmantel.

Wolfgang was in distress because he was going to divorce his wife, Sophia Rentz. Realizing his situation, he asked Father Jakob Rem, a Jesuit priest, to help him. So, Father Jakob prayed earnestly before the Blessed Virgin Mary to untie all the knots of their marriage life.

Immediately, they recovered peace and love in their life and avoided divorce. In memory of this healing moment, their grandson, Hieronymus, commissioned the painting of Mary as "Undoer of Knots." This devotion of Mary as Undoer of Knots was first spread and practiced in Argentina and Brazil.

Then, thanks to Pope Francis who saw this painting while visiting Germany in the 1980s after a difficult stint as a seminary rector, the devotion of Mary as Undoer of Knots began to spread widely throughout the world. Since 2013, the image of "Mary, Undoer of Knots" (1700) has become a central symbol in his pastoral activities. A marriage ribbon is still used in weddings in many countries.

Couples are tied and looped together as a sign of their new unity with each other. However, as time passes, the ribbon can be twisted and knotted. Therefore, it is necessary to untangle the conflicts among people, especially among couples on the edge of divorce.

Pope Francis said: “These knots take away our peace and serenity. They are dangerous since many knots can form a tangle — that gets more and more painful and difficult to undo.” Realizing its danger, St.

Ignatius of Loyola advises us in his Spiritual Exercises to “put a good interpretation on a neighbor’s statement” rather than condemning it. Kim Ae-ran is a member of the Daughters of St. Paul (Figlie di San Paolo), living the Good News and proclaiming it with various means of social communication.

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