A Secular Film Motivated Me to Pray the Rosary

My friend has exquisite flower gardens but the most beautiful garden tended is the one in her heart. So, I was surprised a few years ago when she asked if I’d like to go see a horror film with her. This was a side of my beautiful friend I knew nothing about!  She had heard interesting reviews about A Quiet Place, starring John Krasinski and Emily Blunt. I hadn’t seen a horror film in years and didn’t really want to.  However, since I trusted my friend’s judgment, I decided to go with her because this film had interesting moral implications along with the horror.

Make no mistake, this is a secular film, but it is chock full of life, love, sacrifice, and faith. Rather than give you a movie review with a full breakdown of the film, what I really want to delve into is the analogy we can draw from it to our faith.

The Film

The film begins in complete silence. A devastated small town, and a family gathering supplies in a trashed store. We don’t know until a bit later there are ‘beings’ (no explanation where they came from) which are creatures intent on hunting down all that breathes. They are completely blind and hunt solely on what they can hear. No one may make a sound without falling victim. A saving grace for this family is their daughter who is deaf. They communicate quite well through sign language. They suffer loss, misunderstandings, pregnancy, and childbirth (imagine giving birth and you must be completely silent. No explanation here; you’ll just need to see it), forgiveness, and sacrifice. How does this family survive and what can we draw from this to bolster our own faith?

First and foremost they pray together in silence but as a united front. This is the family unit at its best. They may be suffering together but each uniquely. The daughter in her deafness, the son in his fear and weakness, the mother continues to teach and unable to outwardly grieve, and the father doing all he can to safeguard his family and meet all of their needs are together in prayer as a unit; as one. This is a beautiful analogy of the Body of Christ; suffering with and for each other.

Each Character Has Something to Offer

The youngest child is killed early on in the film. He is young; only about 4 years old. For us he may represent innocence and innocence lost due to his disobedience to his father. He may also represent the Holy Innocents as he is lost to them as the family flees danger.

The next child, also a son, appears weak and more fearful. He doesn’t want to learn from his father how to protect the family or face danger but tends to cower more than the others. He is key to bringing family unity and forgiveness. As St. Paul says, his weakness is also his strength. When the timing is right, this young boy rises to the occasion.

The mother is grieving internally and yet bringing forth new life. We see her loving and sacrificial actions for her husband and children. She tenderly but fiercely protects (remember this is a secular movie so this message may be seen as counter-cultural) as we see her prepare for the due date of her child. The event then of giving birth is a brilliant depiction (intended or not) of the ‘woman’ and the ‘dragon’ from the book of Revelations.

The father’s role is a message of true masculinity; fatherhood and sacrifice. He teaches his son and challenges him. He also listens to his son when being challenged. He responds to his wife’s tenderness and encouragement (no worries here; nothing sexually explicit in the film). He studies endlessly to free his family and also to ease his daughter’s struggles with deafness, constantly attempting to increase and amplify her hearing implant. Lastly, taking his sons’ advice, he not only tells his daughter how much he loves her, but he also shows her in a way which can only be seen as Christ-like.

I’ve saved the daughter here for last. As you now know, she is deaf. Her weakness is not always seeing the danger inevitably coming. Her strength is communication in a silent world for all of them. What we in society see as a flaw is seen by and given by God as a gift, not just for the person directly, but for all those associated. The entire family is enriched because of her. She has also inherited her father’s zeal, tech intelligence, and maybe a bit of stubbornness too. It is due in part to how the family survives in the end. Big spoiler here! Her fathers’ quest to increase the frequency of her hearing device causes feedback to the creatures hunting them. This then is the way they can destroy that which seeks to destroy.

An Analogy

Let’s take this movie, this analogy, and apply it to our faith life. It doesn’t matter whether we are the fearful son, stubborn daughter, or any other character with character flaws. We have monsters; real creatures out there who only want to hunt us down and destroy us. These are the fallen angels; those devils who prowl the earth seeking the ruin of souls. We are the blind ones. We can’t see them but we know the devastating and deadly effects. They are hunting us you can be sure. We also have been told that the Rosary is our weapon, which is true, but do we realize the strength of this weapon?

In the course of my conversion, I’d have conversations with God about the rosary. I can be a good Catholic and not pray the rosary, right? Is it antiquated? Is it disrespectful to God ( I was coming from a Baptist mindset)? God in His goodness left me in the care of His Blessed Mother to answer the questions at that time and I joyfully (after some time…) embraced this beautiful prayer which meditates on His life and love for us.

Pray the Rosary

To be honest, though, trying to keep up with the rosary daily has taken its hits from me. I’ll get into a good routine but when something in my schedule interrupts and throws me off, I find I’ve left the devotion behind. Current world events though have brought me back to my senses of praying this prayer with as much devotion as I can muster.

Whether prayed alone or in groups, we may offer our rosaries for the world; the salvation of souls. Mary takes these prayers, binds them all together, and increases their effectiveness; their frequency. This increased frequency makes the demons around us suffer greatly and sends them back from which they came. This is our great weapon so many saints have spoken of. It isn’t antiquated; it’s neglected.

If we want to change what is happening around us and all over the world we need to increase the frequency of this ancient weapon with all we’ve got! My prayers and yours can and do reach across the ocean to others; known to us and unknown.  We may enter into this powerful prayer in a great silence, allowing greater meditation which dispels fear. (Cardinal Sarah has written an entire book on the value of silence entitled, Into Great Silence). We need not wait and be on the defensive, but with great confidence grab this spiritual weapon and go on the offense. This is the key to being in the battle won!

Rent the movie, then go out to the theatres and see the sequel, A Quiet Place II. This movie may also wake up sullen teens or those lukewarm in faith. Definitely not for children, though. Just go into it with open eyes and heart to draw even more analogies that encourage you to pick up your weapons and pray for the destruction of those demons in your lives and mine. Encourage your friends and family to do the same and increase that Rosary Frequency.

In the words of a favorite priest of mine, “You tell Satan to go to Hell!” Mary will do the rest and send those very real monsters into the abyss where they belong.