Elizabeth Wood

Dear friends,

I spend a few minutes every day on puzzles. I start with the NYT Spelling Bee, which I work on until it tells me that I am “a genius.” (Who doesn’t need that sort of affirmation?). Next comes Wordle, which I can usually get in 4 tries.

Then comes Connections, splitting 16 words into 4 groups with a common (if obscure) theme. Finally, Strands, which is a word search. Only once these are completed, do I get on with the rest of my day (until the New York Times crossword is posted at 7:00pm).

If only the problems we face in life could be solved by concentrating on them for a few minutes each day and trying solutions until one works. But our challenges seem complex and intractable.

How best to support an aging parent? How to heal a decades-long family estrangement? Navigating our confusing system of healthcare. Worrying about work, money and job security. Raising children to be productive members of society. So many worries can keep us up at night.

On a recent visit to Santa Fe, I saw a statue at the cathedral showing Mary, her hands working on some pieces of thread. It was “Our Lady, Untier of Knots.”

It made me realize how much I dwell on problems, trying to come up with my own solutions, how my pride stands in the way of asking for help, and above all, how reluctant I can be to bring those problems forward in prayer.

Now I keep the prayer card from Santa Fe on my desk and look at it every day:

Holy Mary, full of the presence of God during your life, you accepted with great humility the Holy Will of the Father….Evil never dared to entangle you with its confusion. Since then, you have interceded for all our difficulties. With all simplicity and patience, you have given us examples of how to untangle the knots in our complicated lives.… We ask you to receive in your hands (this problem) and deliver us from the chains and confusions that have us restrained….Through your grace, your intercession, and by your example, deliver us from evil and untie the knots that keep us from uniting with God, so that once free from every confusion and error, we may find Him in all things, have Him in our hearts and serve him always….Amen

What knot can you ask for help untangling today?

—Elizabeth