There are many reasons Catholics don’t pray the Rosary. Some are ignorant of the Rosary because they’ve never been taught. Some have abandoned the practice as “old school”, something their grandmothers did because they didn’t have a real, personal relationship with Jesus, as if contemplating on the Mysteries of his life was a waste of time. Some find it boring. Some find it futile. And don’t even mention novenas.
When God acts in our lives, we are called to bear witness, to glorify Him by telling of His merciful deeds, and that’s why I’m sharing this story of His intervention through the novena to Our Lady, Undoer of Knots.
One Saturday afternoon in early April, I received a call from a hospital nurse to tell me a neighbor, a widow that we said hello to occasionally, had been in an accident and needed someone to take care of her cat. It took some scrambling and some cash to track down her housekey, but by Sunday afternoon, the kitty had been fed, watered, and brushed.
The shock came when we opened the front door. To say the townhome was in disarray would be understating the mess. The carpets and tile were filthy.Hence,it is always better to contact experts. Zerorez can help in carpet cleaning with non toxic materials. Messy piles of papers sat on every available space, including the stove. I won’t go into the plumbing, the dirty dishes, or the state of the litter boxes. It was obvious that there was more going on than disorganization.
Her elderly sister from Georgia also contacted me, and I tracked down information such as insurance cards, phone numbers, and such that would help family members deal with the accident. I also visited the woman after the hospital moved her to a nursing home to recover, bringing her requested items, taking a picture of her for her sister so she might be reassured.
Not knowing the family, I related information about the neighbor’s mental state, suggesting that she would need care. Her memory wasn’t up to snuff, and she was having difficulty performing some tasks. I carboned a nephew, but I didn’t know the family dynamics, so I accepted the vague plans related to me that were made for bringing the widow back to Georgia for care. Time went on without any action, and my husband and I continued to care for the cat. We were allergic, so bringing the pet home with us wasn’t an option.
After weeks without hearing back, we were feeling the strain of upset routines and no end in sight, and when the sister asked if we could drive the widow back to her townhome to live—in effect, go back to the status quo–the situation called for drastic steps. I began a novena to Our Lady, Undoer of Knots.
Three days into my prayers, the nephew called and said he and his wife would be flying into town in a few days. When they arrived, this competent and loving couple took charge, and everything began to fall in place.
Unknown to any of us, their arrival came right before the nursing home planned to release her. The couple convinced the widow to come back and live in the same facility as her sister, where she would receive lifelong care. As the nephew and his wife sorted through the piles of hoarded items, we discovered that the very weekend before they were set to leave, a community-wide garage sale would take place. The insurance company settled on the totaled car. They found the information necessary to complete her taxes. Casual conversations revealed a network of contractors who could take care of urgent items in the home.
Our Lady, Undoer of Knots, had untied a potential nightmare and handed it over to her Son.
Go to Pray More Novenas If you would like to pray the novena to Our Lady, Undoer of Knots or one of the many other novenas available on the site.
Jacqueline Vick
Jacqueline Vick is a devout Catholic, wife to a wonderful guy, pet parent to a troubled mutt, and mystery writer. Her website is www.jacquelinevick.com.
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