Day 1 of Novena to Our Lady of the Snows

Scripture:
“Joseph then kissed all his brothers and wept over them; and only then were his brothers able to talk with him.” — Genesis 45:15

“He was lost and is found.” — Luke 15:32

Contemplation:
Where is God inviting you to forgive, reconcile, or soften your heart?

Reflection:
A voice speaks within the heart:
“Why does the pain still linger?”
A gentle voice responds:
“Because love was wounded… but not lost.”
In the silence memories rise—
words spoken in anger,
trust broken,
distance that grew too wide.
Like Joseph in Egypt before his brothers,
Like a father waiting at the doorway.
Love remembers what hurt tried to erase.
“But how can the healing begin?”
“Begin where grace begins with mercy.”
See Joseph weep—
not in bitterness
but in compassion.
See the father run—
not in judgment
but in joy.
Love moves first.
Love restores what seemed beyond repair.
“My heart is tangled where do I start?”
“Place every knot into her hands.”
Behold Our Lady, Undoer of Knots—
patiently loosening fear,
softening hearts,
drawing what is broken back into love.
Even silence can be healed.
Even distance can be crossed.
Even families can be made whole again.
“Is forgiveness truly possible?”
“With grace nothing is lost.”
Today, let the knots of resentment be untied.
Let reconciliation begin—
quietly,
courageously.
Because the same love that welcomed the lost son…
the same mercy that healed Joseph’s family…
still waits…
still calls…
still restores.

Prayer:
Mother Mary, Undoer of Knots,
you who gently loosen the tangled threads of our lives,
look with compassion upon our families.
Where resentment has taken root, plant forgiveness.
Where silence has built walls, open paths of understanding.
Where wounds have lingered for years, pour the healing mercy of your Son.
As Joseph forgave his brothers
and as the father welcomed the prodigal home,
teach us to seek reconciliation with courage and humility.
Untie the knots we cannot loosen on our own,
and lead our families into peace, unity, and renewed love, now and always.
Amen.