MARY, UNTIER OF KNOTS, OR MARY, UNDOER OF KNOTS

My Dear Sisters and Brothers:

Our Maryland Jesuit Provincial, Father Jim Shea, SJ, held his spring Superiors' Meeting on April 27th and 28th at St. Mary's Seminary Conference Center. Because it was his last meeting with the eighteen of us, he chose to thank us for our service to him and our fellow Jesuits during his six-year tenure as provincial by giving each one of us a beautifully framed replica of the eighteenth-century Baroque painting of Mary, Untier of Knots. The original work hangs in the Catholic Pilgrimage Church of St. Peter or Perlach Church in Augsburg, Bavaria, Germany.

This painting and devotion to Mary, Untier of Knots has become more and more prominent around the world because of Pope Francis. In the late 1980's Father Jorge Mario Bergoglio, SJ first encountered the painting while he was completing his doctoral studies in Germany. Having spent thirteen consecutive years in his native country of Argentina as novice master, provincial and rector of the Jesuit theologate in Buenos Aires, Bergoglio was "exiled" by his Jesuit superior to work on a dissertation about the famous Italian theologian, Romano Guardini. It was a low point in his life. Upon his return home, he brought back a postcard of the painting. Fostering veneration of Mary, Untier of Knots, Bergoglio promoted the devotion. Gradually the faithful in many places throughout Latin America, especially in Argentina and Brazil, began to show reverence to the Blessed Virgin under the title: Mary, Untier of Knots. When he was archbishop of Buenos Aires, Cardinal Bergoglio even had this image of Mary engraved on a chalice, which he presented to Pope Benedict XVI.

The story behind the story of the painting reaches back to the early part of the seventeenth century. Wolfgang Langenmantel of Bavaria was on the verge of separating from his wife, Sophia Rentz. Wolfgang sought help from Father Jakob Rem, a Jesuit priest, who prayed to the Blessed Virgin Mary in these words: "I raise the bond of matrimony to untie all the knots and smooth them." Peace was restored between husband and wife. More than fifty years later, Hieronymous Langenmantel, the grandson of Wolfgang and a canon at the Monastery of St. Peter in Augsburg, had the work painted by Johann Georg Melchior Schmidtner around 1700. Hieronymous donated the painting to the Perlach Church of Bavaria.

In the painting Mary is standing on the crescent moon with the Holy Spirit hovering above as a dove. Assisted by angels, she is depicted untying the knots of a long wedding ribbon with her foot resting on the head of a knotted snake representing Satan.

Mary's connection to untying the knots of sin appears to have its roots in the words of the second-century French theologian, St. Irenaeus of Lyons. In his book, Adversus Haereses (Against Heresies), he presents a parallel between Eve and Mary in these words, "The knot of Eve's disobedience was loosed by the obedience of Mary. For what the virgin Eve had bound fast through unbelief, this (knot) the virgin Mary set free through faith."

Pope Francis has a deep abiding devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary. As a child, he was greatly influenced by his Italian grandmother who fostered in Bergoglio a love and personal reverence for Our Lady. It is apparent, while in Germany, he found the devotion to Mary under her title: Mary, Untier of Knots a source of consolation during his years in "exile" there and during his several difficult years when he returned and lived in Cordaba, Argentina.

Perhaps we all can take a lesson from Pope Francis and turn to Mary, Untier of Knots when we find ourselves in situations that are difficult and beyond our means of straightening out. Her maternal care obviously has made a great difference in his life when he faced confusion and turmoil. So let our prayer also be: "Mary, Untier of Knots, pray for us."

Gratefully in the Lord,