CBB Review: Our Lady, Undoer of Knots: A Living Novena

The devotion to Our Lady, Undoer of Knots, has garnered a lot of attention lately. This renewed focus upon this classic devotional is due largely in part to Pope Francis’ own promotion of it. Marge Fenelon has brought readers an excellent resource for use titled Our Lady, Undoer of Knots: A Living Novena. It’s a great little book I found useful in “undoing” some recent knots in my own life and think you will find it useful as well.

The book uses as its central focus the 2014 pilgrimage of Pope Francis to the Holy Land. Marge, a Catholic journalist, was also following this event herself from the Holy Land. What this provides is an intimate look at nine sacred sites that Pope Francis visited on this trip. In essence it becomes what others have called “an armchair pilgrimage” and I couldn’t agree more. This is your typical nine day formatted novena. The subject matter for each day is as follows:

Day One: Bethany the Jordan – The Knot of Injustice

Day Two: Wall of Bethlehem – The Knot of Separation

Day Three: Grotto of the Nativity – The Knot of Confusion

Day Four: Mount of Olives – The Knot of Hopelessness

Day Five: Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre – The Knots of Grief and Loss

Day Six: Western Wall – The Knot of Discord

Day Seven: Yad Vashem, Mount of Remembrance – The Knot of Betrayal

Day Eight: Temple Mount – The Knots of Envy and Pride

Day Nine: The Cenacle – The Knot of Affliction

Each of these chapters begins with a brief overview of the days knot. Next up are Signs from the Holy Land which detail Pope Francis’ visit to the site covered that day. Following that you will be taking a look inward by Viewing Our Interior Landscape. Finally comes the prayer for the day and a section of reflection questions relative to the topic of the day.

As you can see you not only get a pretty neat trip through the Holy Land from the comfort of your own home but you also get a pretty thorough examination of the daily troubles we are all afflicted with. Heading into this nine day novena you will undoubtedly be troubled by at least one situation in your life. By the end of the nine days Marge will have led you down a path to Our Lady that will result in change in your situation. You will find that handing these knots in your life over to Our Lady you will undoubtedly find some much desired relief.

As Marge states in the introduction: “We’ll petition Our Lady, Undoer of Knots, together to undo the knots in our lives – injustice, separation, confusion, hopelessness, grief and sorrow, discord, betrayal, envy and pride, and affliction. By releasing these knots into her hands, we’ll begin working toward peace for which we’ll long, in our own lives and in the world.”

Marge Fenelon has taken the ancient, second century devotion, and added a fresh spin to it giving modern Catholics a classic of their own. This book is one that can be turned to time and again. The meditations are written on such detail that you feel you are almost standing right beside Marge as she experiences some of the most important locations in the Holy Land. Add to this the thought provoking prayers of this nine day novena and this book is a homerun. Undoubtedly this book will be one readers return to often…..buy two because you are going to wear the cover off the first one!

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I received this book from the publisher, Ave Maria Press, in exchange for an honest review.