family prayer | The-Rosary-In-Our-Hands
I’m so thrilled to be writing to you on this feast of Saint John Paul II. From the time I was born and up through college, Pope John Paul II was the only pope I knew. Looking back, he was the reason I started to have a love for the Rosary. Pope John Paul II’s last World Youth Day was in Toronto in 2002. As a thank-you to our parish for all the fundraising to go, I was inspired one day to write the Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary into short scripts. I created a production where the young adults and youth at my parish performed each Mystery, and the audience would pray the decade’s prayers in between each one. It was a “Living Rosary,” and it was beautiful. All this came about because of attending World Youth Day.
After World Youth Day, in October of the same year, Pope John Paul II released the Luminous Mysteries with the start of the Year of the Rosary. I fell in love with these new mysteries and inspiration struck! This time, my brother wrote music to go along with the scripts I wrote for the Luminous Mysteries. I cast a small group of young adults and high school students from across the diocese to take part in what I called a “prayformance.” It was an incredible experience as my cast, the audience, and I became completely immersed in the Rosary. I was the director and producer, and also played the woman who washes the feet of Jesus in the Third Luminous Mystery, “The Conversion of Sinners and the Proclamation of the Kingdom.”
The production was so powerful, we had requests to perform in churches all over the diocese and my love for the Rosary deepened. Suddenly, I was living and breathing the Mysteries of the Rosary. It was such a powerful experience to play the woman who washed the feet of Jesus. I sang a song that was a testimony about this woman’s conversion and the joy that she felt encountering Jesus. I felt that joy as I approached the actor playing Jesus, ready with my perfume bottle to anoint Jesus. I could see the love in Jesus’ eyes who was played by my friend Manny. The Rosary became real for me and for everyone in the audience.
The Rosary is Not Meant to Just be Prayed, but Lived
It doesn’t matter if you are an actor or not: The Rosary is not merely meant to just be prayed but lived. With the Scripture verses attached to each mystery, we can meditate on how each mystery relates to our lives. In the Second Luminous Mystery, “The Wedding at Cana,” Mary says, “They have no wine,” in my mind, I hear, "They have no more wine." Then, sometimes I imagine Mary telling Jesus what I am out of: “They have no more money” or “They have no more love.” Today’s busy-ness leads to “They have no more patience.” Then, I hear her telling the servants, “Do whatever He tells you” — and I ask the Lord what He is asking me to do in whatever situation I am currently in, and I ask for the help to do it.
We pray the Rosary and let it transform and come to life in our own lives. The Rosary is living and breathing, and we witness Mary and Jesus going through moments of humanity and can feel their compassion for us as we go through similar situations in our lives.
Venerable Patrick Peyton, known as "The Rosary Priest," devoted his priestly life to encouraging family prayer, especially the Rosary. This October, for the Month of the Holy Rosary, Family Rosary (an apostolate founded by Father Peyton) and Catholic Mom have teamed up for this daily series dedicated to the Rosary.
About the author:
Christin Jezak has been a promised Pauline Cooperator, a lay association connected with the Daughters of St. Paul since 2012. As an actress, writer, and producer, she strives to do film, tv, & theatre which inspires, uplifts, and stirs society.
Christin voices Agnes for the podcast series "Confessions of a Catholic Single." Christin plays Dr. Sam in the film "Miracle at Manchester" starring Dean Cain, Daniel Roebuck, & Eddie McClintock streaming on Pureflix. She has worked as a lead in a short film for NTT Data directed by Academy Award-winning Cinematographer, Janusz Kaminski. She has had a Co-Star on "Raising Hope," and has been seen in Jimmy Kimmel sketches and a GrubHub Superbowl Commercial.
Christin produced the TV program, "For the Sake of the Gospel" for EWTN as well as the all-women web series "Ladies Keepin' It Real" and her newest series "Neighborhood Watch." Christin performed her one-woman play, "Person-to-Person: A Mother Teresa Project" for the Official Youth Festival of World Youth Day 2008 in Sydney, Australia. She has toured with this play for the last sixteen years all over the U.S.
She also works as the Director of Outreach and Creative for AWE PR.