Novena to Mary, Undoer of Knots, through John Paul II

First Day

Lord, today let us be transfigured by this novena!

"Redemptor Hominis"

“How, in what manner should we continue? What should we do…[to] bring us closer to him whom Sacred Scripture calls "Everlasting Father", Pater futuri saeculi?

“To this question, dear Brothers, sons and daughters, a fundamental and essential response must be given. Our response must be: Our spirit is set in one direction--the only direction for our intellect, will and heart is towards Christ our Redeemer, towards Christ, the Redeemer of man. We wish to look towards him because there is salvation in no one else but him, the Son of God--repeating what Peter said: "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life"”

Lord, you know that the question in our hearts is, ‘how shall we continue?’ Through the intercession of John Paul II, help our hearts to be ever more directed to Christ. We know there is nowhere else to go: help us to embrace your path joyfully and with purpose.

+ In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Act of Contrition

Oh my God I am heartily sorry for having offended you. I detest all my sins because I dread the loss of Heaven and the pains of Hell. But most of all, because I offended you, oh my God, who are all good and deserving of all my love. I firmly resolve, with the help of your grace, to confess my sins, to do penance, and to amend my life. Amen

First 3 decades of the Rosary.

Meditation of the day

Dearest Holy Mother, Most Holy Mary, you undo the knots that suffocate your children. Extend your merciful hands to me. I entrust to You today this knot ... and all the negative consequences that it provokes in my life. I give you this knot that torments me and makes me unhappy and so impedes me from uniting myself to You and Your Son Jesus, my Savior.

I run to You, Mary, Undoer of Knots because I trust you and I know that you never despise a sinning child who comes to ask you for help. I believe that you can undo this knot because Jesus grants you everything. I believe that you want to undo this knot because you are my Mother. I believe that You will do this because you love me with eternal love.

Last 2 decades of the rosary.

Concluding prayer.

Second Day

Dives in Misericordia

Mercy does not pertain only to the notion of God, but it is something that characterizes the life of the whole people of Israel and each of its sons and daughters: mercy is the content of intimacy with their Lord, the content of their dialogue with Him.

Christ, precisely as the crucified one, is the Word that does not pass away, and He is the one who stands at the door and knocks at the heart of every man, without restricting his freedom, but instead seeking to draw from this very freedom love, which is not only an act of solidarity with the suffering Son of man, but also a kind of "mercy" shown by each one of us to the Son of the eternal Father.

Lord, we want our hearts to be in dialogue with you: fill us with your mercy. Give us the grace to seek pardon for our wrongs and extend mercy to those around us. Give us the courage to see ourselves with your loving eyes of mercy. Through the intercession of John Paul II, help us to walk with you to the cross and to leave whatever holds us back there at your feet.

+ In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Act of Contrition

First 3 decades of the Rosary.

Meditation of the day

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. Many times I lose the graces you grant me because of my sins of egoism, pride, rancor and my lack of generosity and humility.

I turn to You today, Mary, Undoer of knots, for You to ask your Son Jesus to grant me a pure, divested, humble and trusting heart. I will live today practicing these virtues and offering you this as a sign of my love for You. I entrust into Your hands the knots which keep me from reflecting the glory of God.

Mary, Undoer of Knots, pray for me.

Mary offered all the moments of her day to God

Last 2 decades of the rosary.

Concluding prayer.

Third Day

Veritatis Splendor

Called to salvation through faith in Jesus Christ, "the true light that enlightens everyone" (Jn 1:9), people become "light in the Lord" and "children of light" (Eph 5:8), and are made holy by "obedience to the truth" (1 Pet 1:22).

This obedience is not always easy ... the question is not so much about rules to be followed, but about the full meaning of life. ... Only God can answer the question about what is good, because he is the Good itself.

Lord, you know that our hearts are divided: we are drawn not to evil, but to the many goods you have put in our lives. Through the intercession of Pope St. John Paul II, shed the splendor of Your truth on our hearts and minds that we may see the people we love, our life circumstances, and our various works in light of the Ultimate Good. Help the ordering of our hearts to always be directed to greater union with You. Grant us the grace of a peaceful knowledge that only this union will give full meaning to our lives and allow the other goods to flourish.

+ In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Act of Contrition

First 3 decades of the Rosary.

Meditation of the day

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...and all the rancor and resentment it has caused in me. I ask Your forgiveness, God the Father, for my sin. Help me now to forgive all the persons who consciously or unconsciously provoked this knot. Give me, also, the grace to forgive myself for having provoked this knot. Only in this way can You undo it. Before You, dearest Mother, and in the name of Your Son Jesus, my Savior, who has suffered so many offenses, having been granted forgiveness, I now forgive these persons and myself, forever. Thank you, Mary, Undoer of Knots for undoing the knot of rancor in my heart and the other knots which I now present to you. Amen.

Mary, Undoer of Knots, pray for me.

Turn to Mary, you who desire grace.

Last 2 decades of the rosary.

Concluding prayer.

Fourth Day

Laborem Exercens

Work is a good thing for man--a good thing for his humanity--because through work man not only transforms nature, adapting it to his own needs, but he also achieves fulfillment as a human being and indeed, in a sense, becomes "more a human being."

All work, whether manual or intellectual, is inevitably linked with toil ... By enduring the toil of work in union with Christ crucified for us, man in a way collaborates with the Son of God for the redemption of humanity. He shows himself a true disciple of Christ by carrying the cross in his turn every day in the activity that he is called upon to perform.

Let the Christian who listens to the word of the living God, uniting work with prayer, know the place that his work has not only in earthly progress but also in the development of the Kingdom of God, to which we are all called through the power of the Holy Spirit and through the word of the Gospel.

Lord, you know how much our work feels like toil. We ask, through the intercession of Pope St. John Paul II, for the grace to pick up our crosses and carry on the particular work you have entrusted to us. Please grant us the specific graces of focus, freedom from distraction, and motivation. Let the Kingdom of God bear fruit in our lives, so that we may become more fully ourselves and a brighter light to others. Give us the humility to be less than perfect. Fill us with your creativity and pour out a spirit of perseverance and patience upon us. Lord, help us to finish our work!

+ In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Act of Contrition

First 3 decades of the Rosary.

Meditation of the day

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. Undo this knot in my love, O mother, and ask Jesus to heal my paralytic faith which gets down-hearted with the stones on the road. Along with you, dearest Mother, may I see these stones as friends. Not murmuring against them anymore, but giving endless thanks for them, may I smile trustingly in your power.

Mary, Undoer of Knots, pray for me.

Mary is the Sun and no one is deprived of her warmth.

Last 2 decades of the rosary.

Concluding prayer.

Fifth Day

"General Audiences" of 1980

The human being of every time and of every place feels himself called in a manner that is adequate, concrete, and unrepeatable, because Christ appeals precisely to the human ‘heart,’ which cannot be the subject of any generalization.

Purity of heart' is gained by the one who knows how to be consistently demanding toward his 'heart': toward his 'heart' and toward his 'body.'

Yahweh does not stop looking for his Bride; he does not grow tired of waiting for her to turn and come back ...

Lord, we know that you speak to each of our hearts in a unique way. Through the intercession of Pope St. John Paul II, let us hear you calling. We find ourselves in love with our brothers and sisters, and we ask that you remove from our hearts any love that does not glorify you, enrich us as your sons and daughters, or aid those whom we love. Transform our inner being with your own love, so that those we hold dear will find you in us and in our friendship. Give us the courage to be demanding with ourselves when we need to be, but also the peaceful knowledge of your constant pursuit of our hearts, even when we fail. Let us never lose confidence in your determination to espouse us in Your Holy Spirit.

+ In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Act of Contrition

First 3 decades of the Rosary.

Meditation of the day

Mother, Undoer of Knots, generous and compassionate, I come to You today to once again entrust this knot in my life to you and to ask the divine wisdom to undo, under the light of the Holy Spirit, this snarl of problems. No one ever saw you angry; to the contrary, your words were so charged with sweetness that the Holy Spirit was manifested on your lips. Take away from me the bitterness, anger and hatred which this knot has caused me. Give me, O dearest Mother, some of the sweetness and wisdom that is all silently reflected in your heart. And just as you were present at Pentecost, ask Jesus to send me a new presence of the Holy Spirit at this moment in my life. Holy Spirit, come upon me!

Mary, Undoer of Knots, pray for me.

Mary, with God, is powerful.

Last 2 decades of the rosary.

Concluding prayer.

Sixth Day

Redemptoris Mater

The pilgrimage of faith indicates the interior history, that is, the story of souls. But it is also the story of all human beings, subject here on earth to transitoriness, and part of the historical dimension.

Mary, Mother of the Incarnate Word, is placed at the very center of ... that struggle which accompanies the history of humanity on earth and the history of salvation itself.

Mary, during the pilgrimage of her filial and maternal fiat, "in hope believed against hope." Especially during certain stages of this journey the blessing granted to her "who believed" will be revealed with particular vividness. To believe means "to abandon oneself" to the truth of the word of the living God.

Lord, you know the story of each of our souls: the chapters we have seen and those yet to be written. Through the intercession of JPII, grant us the grace to continue on our pilgrimage. Send us your mother to comfort us and fight alongside us in our struggles. Give us her faith to abandon ourselves to you, to hope against hope, and to believe in your loving providence in our lives, no matter how dim the path may seem at times. Mary, mother of John Paul II and our mother, pray for us!

+ In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Act of Contrition

First 3 decades of the Rosary.

Meditation of the day

Queen of Mercy, I entrust to you this knot in my life, and I ask you to give me a heart that is patient until you undo it. Teach me to persevere in the living word of Jesus, in the Eucharist, the Sacrament of Confession; stay with me and prepare my heart to celebrate with the angels the grace that will be granted to me. Amen! Alleluia!

Mary, Undoer of Knots, pray for me.

You are beautiful, Mary, and there is no stain of sin in You.

Last 2 decades of the rosary.

Concluding prayer.

Seventh Day

Redemptoris Custos

While it is true that Joseph did not respond to the angel's "announcement" in the same way as Mary, ... What he did is the clearest "obedience of faith" ... at the moment of Joseph's own "annunciation" he said nothing; instead he simply "did as the angel of the Lord commanded him" (Mt 1:24). And this first "doing" became the beginning of "Joseph's way."...on the course of that pilgrimage of faith which was his life, Joseph, like Mary, remained faithful to God's call until the end.

At the workbench where he plied his trade together with Jesus, Joseph brought human work closer to the mystery of the Redemption. ... Joseph was in daily contact with the mystery "hidden from ages past," and which "dwelt" under his roof.

Besides trusting in Joseph's sure protection, the Church also trusts in his noble example, which transcends all individual states of life and serves as a model for the entire Christian community, whatever the condition and duties of each of its members may be.

Lord, we thank you for giving us St. Joseph as our protector and example. Through the intercession of Pope St. John Paul II, help us to imitate Joseph's obedience of faith: to do, very simply and without angst-filled discussion, what you have asked us to do: for it is in the particular work you have entrusted to us that we will come into daily contact with the mystery hidden from ages past. St. Joseph, guardian of our Redeemer, protect our hearts and help us to hear the voice of God in our lives as we seek direction on our vocational paths.

+ In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Act of Contrition

First 3 decades of the Rosary.

Meditation of the day

Mother Most Pure, I come to You today to beg you to undo this knot in my life and free me from the snares of Evil. God has granted you great power over all the demons. I renounce all of them today, every connection I have had with them, and I proclaim Jesus as my one and only Lord and Savior. Mary, Undoer of Knots, crush the evil one's head and destroy the traps he has set for me in this knot. Thank you, dearest Mother. Most Precious Blood of Jesus, free me!

Mary, Undoer of Knots, pray for me.

You are the glory of Jerusalem, the joy of our people.

Last 2 decades of the rosary.

Concluding prayer.

Eighth Day

1995 "World Day of Peace" message

When women are able fully to share their gifts with the whole community, the very way in which society understands and organizes itself is improved and comes to reflect in a better way the substantial unity of the human family.

Mary, Queen of Peace, is close to the women of our day because of her motherhood, her example of openness to others' needs, and her witness of suffering. Mary lived with a deep sense of responsibility the plan which God willed to carry out in her for the salvation of all humanity.

Lord Jesus, we thank you for creating women in the image and likeness of God. Through the intercession of Pope St. John Paul II, give all of the daughters of God the courage, direction, and opportunity to share their gifts with those who love them and who need them. We know that you are calling each of Your children to a particular work, and we ask for the grace to fulfill it with a willingness to suffer, if it be your will.

St. John Paul II, son of Our Lady, pray for us!

+ In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Act of Contrition

First 3 decades of the Rosary.

Meditation of the day

Virgin Mother of God, overflowing with mercy, have mercy on your child and undo this knot in my life. I need you to visit me, just as you visited Elizabeth. Bring me Jesus; bring me the Holy Spirit. Teach me to practice the virtues of courage, joyfulness, humility, and faith, and, like Elizabeth and her son, John, to be filled with the Holy Spirit. Make me joyfully rest on your bosom, Mary. I consecrate myself to you as my mother, Queen, and friend. I give you my heart and everything I have (my home and family, my material and spiritual goods.) I am yours forever. Put your heart in me so that I can do what Jesus tells me to do.

Mary, Undoer of Knots, pray for me.

Let us go, therefore, full of trust, to the throne of grace.

Last 2 decades of the rosary.

Concluding prayer.

Ninth Day

Letter to Artists

None can sense more deeply than you artists, ingenious creators of beauty that you are, something of the pathos with which God at the dawn of creation looked upon the work of his hands. A glimmer of that feeling has shone so often in your eyes when — like the artists of every age — captivated by the hidden power of sounds and words, colors and shapes, you have admired the work of your inspiration, sensing in it some echo of the mystery of creation with which God, the sole creator of all things, has wished in some way to associate you.

Every genuine artistic intuition goes beyond what the senses perceive and, reaching beneath reality's surface, strives to interpret its hidden mystery. The intuition itself springs from the depths of the human soul, where the desire to give meaning to one's own life is joined by the fleeting vision of beauty and of the mysterious unity of things

Beauty is a key to the mystery and a call to transcendence. It is an invitation to savor life and to dream of the future. That is why the beauty of created things can never fully satisfy. It stirs that hidden nostalgia for God which a lover of beauty like Saint Augustine could express in incomparable terms: “Late have I loved you, beauty so old and so new: late have I loved you!”

Lord, we thank you for giving us a taste of your Beauty here on earth. Through the intercession of Pope St. John Paul II, help us to follow Beauty’s call, leading us to deeper union with you. Give us the grace of perseverance when we feel frustrated with our tasks, when we feel ‘blocked’ and unable to create. Help us to turn back to you for renewal, to wait with patience for your Spirit to move us. Above all, let us not mistake anything or anyone in this life for our Ultimate End. We trust your guiding hand, even when we cannot sense it. John Paul II, lover of artists, pray for us!

+ In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Act of Contrition

First 3 decades of the Rosary.

Meditation of the day

Most Holy Mary, our Advocate, Undoer of Knots, I come today to thank you for undoing this knot in my life. You know very well the suffering it has caused me. Thank you for coming, Mother, with your tender 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.

Last 2 decades of the rosary.

Concluding Prayer

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 the immense mercy that exists in your heart,
cast your compassionate eyes upon me
and see the snarl of knots that exist in my life.

You know very well how desperate I am, how much pain I feel,
and how I am bound by these knots.

Mary, Mother to whom God entrusted the undoing of the knots in the lives of his children,
I entrust the ribbon of my life into your hands.

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 ...

I beg you to undo it for the glory of God, once for all;
you are my hope.

O my Lady, you are the only consolation God 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 to Jesus for me.

Links

• Source: TheHolyRosary.org. Edited to my taste.