Wednesday, August 20, 2014

Clear Crackle Quartz Bracelet with Miraculous Medal



The Ave beads in this bracelet are 9mm clear crackle quartz. These beads sparkle and dance in the light. When the sun hits them they refract the light and show beautiful little spectrums. Accenting these beads is the silver, metalized Lucite Pater bead. The spacers, Miraculous Medal, crucifix and toggle clasp are silver colored metal. This bracelet would make a wonderful gift.  Please click here to learn more about this rosary bracelet and please visit my shop, Holy Name Rosaries to see more of my rosary bracelets and unbreakable rosaries.

Friday, August 15, 2014

Mary Undoer of Knots Rosary Pale Blue Amazonite



Mary, the Undoer of knots is reported to be Pope Francis' favorite aspect of Our Blessed Mother.  The Ave beads in this rosary are 8mm pale blue Amazonite. These beads are slightly translucent which gives them a light appearance. Some of the beads have slight imperfections, this is to be expected with natural stone beads. The Pater beads are jasper from Madagascar. They are a light gray color with light blue mixed in. This rosary would make a wonderful gift. It would also be great to keep for yourself. The center and the crucifix are both silver colored metal.  Please click here to learn more about this rosary and please visit my shop, Holy Name Rosaries, to see more of my unbreakable, wire wrapped rosaries. 

Thursday, August 14, 2014

Mary Undoer of Knots


To show us the mission granted to the Virgin Mary by Her Son, an unknown artist painted Mary Undoer of Knots with great grace. Since 1700, his painting has been venerated in the Church of St. Peter in Perlack, 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?
They 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. They 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.
The devotion to Mary Undoer of Knots is not new. The devotion is more than 300 years old. However, it is not based on an apparition of the Virgin Mary to a person, or persons, as in Lourdes or Fatima, but rather it is a revered devotion as many others in the Catholic Church, despite Virgin Mary is only one.
The devotion to Mary Undoer of Knots is becoming more and more known in many different countries, and the Novena has been printed in 19 languages, as well as in Braille. In the last 4 years, the Sanctuary of Mary Undoer of Knots has welcomed more than 600,000 pilgrims from all over the world.


At Mass, there is a multitude of people: the young, the elderly, rich and poor, all asking for help from Our Lady to simplify their lives.

Sanctuary where Mary
Undoer of Knots is venerated

Devotes on field Mass in honor
to Mary Undoer of Knots


Day after day, more and more Christians kneel to pray to Her as soon as they meet the Mother of the Fair Love.
Many families have become reconciled! Many diseases have been healed! Many spouses have returned to the Church! Many jobs have been given! Many conversions have taken place! Many Catholics have been on their knees praying and giving thanks for graces received from our sweet Mother.
We are living in difficult times where the problems, the knots, the temptations, the lack of peace and the evils are all around us. Like a roaring lion your adversary, the devil, prowls around, looking for someone to devour.
(1 Peter 5,8)

For that reason, Mary Who undoes the knots, Who was chosen by God to crush the evil with Her feet, comes to us to reveal Herself. She comes to provide jobs, good health, to reconcile families, because She wants to undo the knots of our sins which dominate our lives, so that - as sons of the King - we can receive the promises reserved for us from eternity. She comes with promises of victory, peace, blessings and reconciliation.
Then, free from our knots – filled with happiness, we can be a testimony of the Divine Power in this world, like pieces of God’s heart or small bottles of perfume exhaling mercy and love to our neighbor. Like ambassador of Jesus Christ and the Virgin of the fair love, we can rescue those who cry without any consolation, those who are lonely, tied with knots, who have no God, no Father nor Mother.
Mother of the Rising Sun, Immaculate, our Advocate, Helper in moments of affliction, Mother of God and made by Him our Mother, this is how Mary, Undoer of Knots is presented. Above all, She comes as the Queen of Mercy, the one who knows all about us, who has compassion for us and hurries to rescue us, praying for each one of us to Her beloved Jesus.

The information in this post was taken entirely from this website  http://www.maryundoerofknots.com/history.htm

Wednesday, August 6, 2014

Irish Rosary Honoring Our Lady of Knock


The AvĂ© beads in this rosary are 8mm multicolored fancy agate. The colors range from many shades of green accented by a few rust colored beads. The Pater beads are 12mm white magnesite. Magnesite is often advertised as white turquoise which it is not. However, it is a beautiful stone in and of itself. Because of the size and weight of the beads, this is a nice substantial rosary which has a nice feel in your hands.  Please click here to learn more about this rosary and please visit my shop, Holy Name Rosaries, to see more of my unbreakable rosaries.

Monday, August 4, 2014

Our Lady of Knock

Altar Sculpture at Knock based on accounts of the Apparition
As is the case with so many of her apparitions, the people of  County Mayo in Ireland where that apparition occured was in great turmoil.   There had been many famines and forced evictions imposed on a population that was already suffering.  On the evening of August 21, 1879, at about 8 o'clock in the evening, fifteen people, whose ages ranged from five years to seventy-five and included men, women, teenagers and children, witnessed what they claimed was an apparition of Our Lady, Saint Joseph, and Saint John the Evangelist at the south gable end of the local small parish church, the Church of Saint John the Baptist. Behind them and a little to the left of Saint John was a plain altar. On the altar was a cross and a lamb



The Blessed Virgin Mary was described as being beautiful, standing a few feet above the ground. She wore a white cloak, hanging in full folds and fastened at the neck. The crown appeared of a golden brightness, of a deeper hue, than the striking whiteness of the robe she wore; the upper parts of the crown appeared to be a series of sparkles, or glittering crosses. She was described as "deep in prayer", with her eyes raised to heaven, her hands raised to the shoulders or a little higher, the palms inclined slightly to the shoulders. Bridget Trench "went in immediately to kiss, as I thought, the feet of the Blessed Virgin; but I felt nothing in the embrace but the wall, and I wondered why I could not feel with my hands the figures which I had so plainly and so distinctly seen". 
 
 
Saint Joseph, also wearing white robes, stood on the Virgin's right hand. His head was bent forward from the shoulders towards the Blessed Virgin. John the Evangelist stood to the left of the Blessed Virgin. He was dressed in a long robe and wore a mitre. He was partly turned away from the other figures. He appeared to be preaching and he held open a large book in his left hand. To the left of St. John was an altar with a lamb on it with a cross standing on the altar behind the lamb




Those who witnessed the apparition stood in the pouring rain for up to two hours reciting the Rosary, a traditional Catholic prayer. When the apparition began there was good light, but although it then became very dark, witnesses could still see the figures very clearly - they appeared to be the color of a bright whitish light. The apparition did not flicker or move in any way. The witnesses reported that the ground around the figures remained completely dry during the apparition although the wind was blowing from the south. Afterwards, however the ground at the gable became wet and the gable dark

Our Lady of Knock is one of the few apparitions where Our Blessed Mother remained silent.  She remained in an attitude of prayer during the entire apparation.   It is my belief that perhaps she was trying to encourage her people to pray and to teach them the language of silence.   For it is only in silence that we are able to perceive the Lord and "hear" the language of His love for us.

Most of the contents of this post were taking directly from Wikipedia  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knock_Shrine and some of the information came from Mary Pages http://www.marypages.com/Knock.htm    The last paragraph is my own original thinking as to why Our Blessed Mother chose not to speak at Knock.