Category Archives: Prayer

A Walk With the Novena of Mary Undoer of Knots, Day 7

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On Day 7 in our daily walk with The Novena of Mary Undoer of Knots, we request Mary’s intercession to “free us from the snares of Evil….”

Evil exists in the World today. Although that might seem to some to be the understatement of all time, it is a reality denied by many. Just see the reaction when “Evil” is attributed to any horror or tragedy that occurs in the world.

What are the “snares of Evil?” All the temptations of the “World, the Flesh and the Devil.” The attractions, morals, philosophies of the “World” that take us away fro God and our love for Him; the sinful pleasures of inappropriate sexuality; and Satan, the Adversary itself.

Mary can guard us. Under the mantle of her Motherly protection, she can lead the way to Jesus and peace.

There is additional help:

Prayer to St. Michael the Archangel:

St. Michael the Archangel,

defend us in battle.

Be our defense against the wickedness and snares of the Devil.

May God rebuke him, we humbly pray,

and do thou,

O Prince of the heavenly hosts,

by the power of God,

thrust into hell Satan,

and all the evil spirits,

who prowl about the world

seeking the ruin of souls. Amen..

via EWTN Novena Page.

More on him: St. Michael the Archangel.

I have a new book! "The Sober Catholic Way" is a handbook on how anyone can live a sober life, drawn from over 17 years of SoberCatholic posts! It's out now on "Amazon," "Apple Books," "B&N" and and others!"!

My two other books are still available! "The Stations of the Cross for Alcoholics" and "The Recovery Rosary: Reflections for Alcoholics and Addicts" (Thank you!!)

A Walk with the Novena to Mary Undoer of Knots, Day 6

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Today is Day 6 in our daily walk with The Novena of Mary Undoer of Knots and we ask Mary’s intercession for us to “persevere in the living word of Jesus, in the Eucharist, the Sacrament of Confession…”

This is pretty straightforward. And for all the simplicity of the apparent intention, probably one of the most positively fruitful of them.

This is the life of the Church, and our lives in Her. Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition; the Eucharist, in which Jesus is Really Present: Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity; the Sacrament of Confession in which we humbly confess our sins to a priest and receive forgiveness from God through him. Participating in all of these, from reading and studying the Bible and authentic Church teaching, and partaking of the Sacraments helps us grow ever closer to the Lord and increases our hope of one day being united to Him in the glory that is Heaven.

I have a new book! "The Sober Catholic Way" is a handbook on how anyone can live a sober life, drawn from over 17 years of SoberCatholic posts! It's out now on "Amazon," "Apple Books," "B&N" and and others!"!

My two other books are still available! "The Stations of the Cross for Alcoholics" and "The Recovery Rosary: Reflections for Alcoholics and Addicts" (Thank you!!)

A Walk with the Novena of Mary Undoer of Knots, Day 5

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Today is Day 5 in our daily walk with The Novena of Mary Undoer of Knots and we cover “the bitterness, anger and hatred which this knot has caused me…”

This is very close to our third day’s intentions in which we asked Mary’s intercession to help us with “resentment,” the really dangerous character defect that we alcoholics nurture very well. But, while that intercession involved things of a general nature, this one seems to be directed at a single situation, and one that is deeper and more soul-eating. An event that resulted in bitterness, anger and hatred.

These three emotions are tools that Satan can exploit to drive you away from Jesus. They are extremely negative and can easily burn away charity in the soul and darken life. Probably every reader as well as myself has hated or been hated, and we can all attest to its debilitating nature. One chief consequence of bitterness, anger and hatred is how easily it can harm our relationship with God, who is Love, Mercy and Forgiveness.

Ask Mary’s maternal help in undoing this knot. It is deadly. Deadly to your soul and thus deadly to your salvation. Whatever it is, it isn’t worth damnation.

I have a new book! "The Sober Catholic Way" is a handbook on how anyone can live a sober life, drawn from over 17 years of SoberCatholic posts! It's out now on "Amazon," "Apple Books," "B&N" and and others!"!

My two other books are still available! "The Stations of the Cross for Alcoholics" and "The Recovery Rosary: Reflections for Alcoholics and Addicts" (Thank you!!)

A Walk with the Novena of Mary Undoer of Knots, Day 4

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Today we cover “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…” as we move into Day 4 of our walk through The Novena of Mary Undoer of Knots.

Guilt over some grave matter that you did? Other sins of commission? How about sins of omission (Things that you’re supposed to do, but haven’t)? Unfinished business? Something is nagging at your conscience and not letting you rest. It is serious to the point of preventing your relationship with the Lord from achieving it fulfillment. We are all supposed to go to our Lord and serve Him.

Matthew 6:33 “Therefore, seek first the kingdom of God and his justice, and all these things shall be added to you as well”.

via Matthew – Catholic Public Domain Version of the Sacred Bible.

Like I mentioned in Day 1, a “deep examination of conscience, that “fearless and searching moral inventory” spoken of in Fourth Step of the 12 Steps Movements, is called for to get at a root cause” of what might be paralyzing your spiritual progression.

Since the Church teaches that we go to Jesus through Mary, the Blessed Virgin would be a wonderful aide in helping you take care of this matter.  Dwell on this intention for today; meditate on what the “knot” is so that when you pray the Rosary for this day’s Novena, you can ask with particular need Mary’s intercession for you.

I have a new book! "The Sober Catholic Way" is a handbook on how anyone can live a sober life, drawn from over 17 years of SoberCatholic posts! It's out now on "Amazon," "Apple Books," "B&N" and and others!"!

My two other books are still available! "The Stations of the Cross for Alcoholics" and "The Recovery Rosary: Reflections for Alcoholics and Addicts" (Thank you!!)

A Walk with the Novena of Mary Undoer of Knots, Day 3

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For Day 3 in our daily walk with The Novena of Mary Undoer of Knots we cover “this knot in my life…and all the rancor and resentment it has caused in me…’.

All right, resentment. Whether the rancor in life is caused by us or by others, the resentment that results is one character defect that we alcoholic own (Along with anger; there’s others, but resentment holds a “special” place in our wounded mind.)

Resentment means “to feel again,” as in to “sentiment” again. You hold a grudge. Someone wronged you and you feel it for years. The letting go of it is hard. But letting go is a must.

So we take a look at this knot. What distance that has transpired in time since its creation is unimportant. It happened, the knot was tied, and it still pains you all these years and has caused rifts between you and others.

Use this Novena to ask Mary to help you forgive. As tough as forgiveness may be, it is essential to your salvation (kindly say the “Our Father,” and really think about the passage near the end: “…and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive others who trespass against us.” God’s forgiveness of your sins is dependent upon you forgiving others…)

Mary can lead you to the softening of the heart, to the feeling that “what was done was done and the time spent dwelling on it is now over.” For some transgressions the time taken to the act of forgiveness may be long. But as long as you start along the path to forgiving the trespasser, your healing can begin.

I have a new book! "The Sober Catholic Way" is a handbook on how anyone can live a sober life, drawn from over 17 years of SoberCatholic posts! It's out now on "Amazon," "Apple Books," "B&N" and and others!"!

My two other books are still available! "The Stations of the Cross for Alcoholics" and "The Recovery Rosary: Reflections for Alcoholics and Addicts" (Thank you!!)

A Walk with the Novena of Mary Undoer of Knots, Day 2

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Today we cover “sins of egoism, pride, rancor and … lack of generosity and humility…” in our daily walk with The Novena of Mary Undoer of Knots.

These sins blind you. The more of your “self” that you are bound up in, the less you are open to God’s graces, the less you see Jesus in other people. You adopt a “me versus them” attitude, with the “me” feeling inherently superior.

And leave it to an alcoholic to feel superior to others, even with all the serious character defects these sins reveal.

Work on becoming smaller. To quote St. John the Baptist:

John 3:30 He must increase, while I must decrease.

via John – Catholic Public Domain Version of the Sacred Bible.

Becoming “smaller” is also the “Little Way” of St.Therese of Lisieux, who taught that one should do everything with love, even the smallest, most insignificant task. Nothing is too small for God if done with Love.

So perhaps do “little things” as if they were the most important things in the world at the moment.

They just might be, to someone.

I have a new book! "The Sober Catholic Way" is a handbook on how anyone can live a sober life, drawn from over 17 years of SoberCatholic posts! It's out now on "Amazon," "Apple Books," "B&N" and and others!"!

My two other books are still available! "The Stations of the Cross for Alcoholics" and "The Recovery Rosary: Reflections for Alcoholics and Addicts" (Thank you!!)

A Walk with the Novena of Mary Undoer of Knots, Day 1

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Last week I introduced you all to The Novena of Mary Undoer of Knots. (Well, some of you, a few have known of it 😉 )

I said this Novena just once, at the end of this past December (I did not post daily prayers). The “knots” I won’t bother bringing up, but as I said the prayers each day I noticed that the Novena might be best said for offering up different “knots” for each day.

To that end I am going to start the Novena over, each day specifically offering up “knots” that are seemingly special to that day’s prayers.

Today, Day 1: “this knot….and all the negative consequences that it provokes in my life…”

What specific “knot” in your life is the catalyst for all sorts of negative consequences? A deep examination of conscience, that “fearless and searching moral inventory” spoken of in Fourth Step of the 12 Steps Movements, is called for to get at a root cause of a number of negative incidents in life.

Take a look around your life. What seems to be the negative consequences that abound in it? Can you trace them back to a source (or sources)? Many sins are symptoms of deeper sins.

I have a new book! "The Sober Catholic Way" is a handbook on how anyone can live a sober life, drawn from over 17 years of SoberCatholic posts! It's out now on "Amazon," "Apple Books," "B&N" and and others!"!

My two other books are still available! "The Stations of the Cross for Alcoholics" and "The Recovery Rosary: Reflections for Alcoholics and Addicts" (Thank you!!)

The Mother of God and Undoer of Knots

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As it turns out, “Mary, the Undoer of Knots” is one of Pope Francis’ favorite devotions. Following yesterday’s Novena of Mary the Undoer of Knots post, I ran across an article this morning  from “ZENIT – The World Seen From Rome:” The Mother of God and Undoer of Knots.

Also:

Today, January 1st, is the Solemnity of Mary, the Mother of God.

Luke 1:48 “For he has looked with favor on the humility of his handmaid. For behold, from this time, all generations shall call me blessed.“

via Luke – Catholic Public Domain Version of the Sacred Bible.

Do you honor your Mother? Do you call Mary, “blessed”? Or do you think she was just some incidental figure in salvation history, a random person selected by God to bear His Son, and it could have been just anyone? Entrust your sobriety to her. A good Momma takes care of her children.

BeholdYourMother

 

I have a new book! "The Sober Catholic Way" is a handbook on how anyone can live a sober life, drawn from over 17 years of SoberCatholic posts! It's out now on "Amazon," "Apple Books," "B&N" and and others!"!

My two other books are still available! "The Stations of the Cross for Alcoholics" and "The Recovery Rosary: Reflections for Alcoholics and Addicts" (Thank you!!)

The Novena of Mary Undoer of Knots

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As we close out the old year and await the new, we tend to reflect upon our life as it has transpired so far. We notice how messed up it can be. No matter how long we’ve been clean and sober, regardless of how serene we are: upon a closer examination we can often see that our life has messy parts. If fact, one can say that the messy parts are all knotted up. To assist my readers in cleaning up the mess and undoing the knots, I would like to introduce to you all the Novena of Mary, Undoer of Knots.

The devotion and accompanying novena are old. According to the Holy Rosary site:

“How this devotion started?

To show us the mission granted to the Virgin Mary by Her Son, an artist Johann Melchior Georg Schmittdner painted Mary Undoer of Knots with great grace. Since 1700, his painting has been venerated in the Church of St. Peter in Perlack, Augsburg, 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?

There 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. There 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.”

As you can see from the above paragraph on what the knots are, this is a devotion and novena that can be extremely useful for people struggling with alcoholism, addiction and sobriety (their own, or others’. So maybe this can also be of help to members of Al-Anon and related family groups).

These are short excerpts from each day’s meditations, they give you an idea as to how relevant this Novena can be for you:

Day 1: this knot….and all the negative consequences that it provokes in my life…

Day 2: sins of egoism, pride, rancor and my lack of generosity and humility…

Day 3: this knot in my life…and all the rancor and resentment it has caused in me…

Day 4: 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…

Day 5: the bitterness, anger and hatred which this knot has caused me…

Day 6: persevere in the living word of Jesus, in the Eucharist, the Sacrament of Confession…

Day 7: free me from the snares of Evil…

Day 8: to practice the virtues of courage, joyfulness, humility and faith…

Day 9: this knot in my life…You know very well the suffering it has caused me…

So, pray it! It can be said at any time of the year, whenever you’re inspired or just feel the need. I figured that New Years’s Day can be a good time, especially as it is also the Solemnity of Mary, the Mother of God. The following link contains the Opening and Closing Prayers and Daily Meditations: The Unfailing Novena of Mary Undoer of Knots. Although the above excerpts should help you in thinking about the intentions  you wish to pray for and offer up through the Blessed Virgin to Jesus, I would suggest that you read it over once before starting.

I have a new book! "The Sober Catholic Way" is a handbook on how anyone can live a sober life, drawn from over 17 years of SoberCatholic posts! It's out now on "Amazon," "Apple Books," "B&N" and and others!"!

My two other books are still available! "The Stations of the Cross for Alcoholics" and "The Recovery Rosary: Reflections for Alcoholics and Addicts" (Thank you!!)

With my whole heart, I have sought you

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Psalm 119: 9-17 “By what does an adolescent correct his way? By keeping to your words.
With my whole heart, I have sought you. Do not let me be driven away from your commandments.
I have hidden your eloquence in my heart, so that I may not sin against you.
Blessed are you, O Lord. Teach me your justifications.
With my lips, I have pronounced all the judgments of your mouth.
I have been delighted in the way of your testimonies, as if in all riches.
I will be trained in your commandments, and I will consider your ways.
I will meditate on your justifications. I will not forget your words.”

The composer of the 119th Psalm continues the theme of the first 8 verses, that of seeking the Lord with the whole heart and equating purity and holiness with following the Commandments.

This is yet another example of how this Psalm is a good one to know for those of us in recovery. “I have hidden your eloquence in my heart, so that I may not sin against you,” shows that interior conversion helps one abstain from sin. The Twelve Steps are an excellent method to kickstart conversion, but when combined with a desire to know God through His sacred teachings, how much sweeter will recovery be!

Furthermore, the Psalmist declares that he will not keep silent, that not only does he desire the Lord to impart His ways, but that such things are a delight and will be shared with others.

This entire section is a good lesson in the desire to know God’s will, to learn God’s teachings and the joy of following the Commandments. All because they keep you on the righteous path (as well as armament against relapse).

NOTE: This is Psalm 119 in most Catholic Bibles based on the Latin Vulgate, it is Psalm 118 in Bibles based on the Greek Septuagint.

I have a new book! "The Sober Catholic Way" is a handbook on how anyone can live a sober life, drawn from over 17 years of SoberCatholic posts! It's out now on "Amazon," "Apple Books," "B&N" and and others!"!

My two other books are still available! "The Stations of the Cross for Alcoholics" and "The Recovery Rosary: Reflections for Alcoholics and Addicts" (Thank you!!)