Jonathan Roumie: This advent challenge will guide people to a 'deeper relationship with Christ'
Jonathan Roumie, who plays Jesus in 'The Chosen,' discusses the 'Pray 25' challenge on the Hallow app on 'The Story.'
In a phone interview with Fox News Digital on Monday, Los Angeles-based actor Jonathan Roumie spoke of his Christian faith, his prayer life and his hope that others may find peace and serenity during this Advent season of 2023 — because "any opportunity to connect to Jesus is a welcome one," he said.
Roumie, perhaps best known for his role as Jesus Christ in "The Chosen," has paired up with Hallow, the No. 1 prayer app in the world, for a special Advent prayer challenge for this holy season of preparation for Christmas. The 25-day prayer challenge began Monday — and as part of the effort, both he and actor Liam Neeson guide people through a variety of prayers, meditations, Bible readings and more.
This is no mere gig, however, for Roumie.
He is a committed Christian and Catholic, with his own personal story of growing closer to God and continuing to do so each day.
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People can "disconnect from the chaos of the real world, the divisiveness, the anxiety" that exists, said Roumie, by connecting with Jesus through prayer.
They can find "peace and a deeper relationship with Christ, and I think that's really the goal of the prayer challenge," he said.
Roumie said that building a habit of prayer "is easier than people think."
Actor Jonathan Roumie appears in an ad for Hallow, the Catholic prayer app. He said that tapping into the habit of prayer allows people to "experience much more peace, tranquility and serenity" in their lives. (Hallow)
He added, "As you consistently tap into that habit, you find your relationship with Jesus growing deeper and deeper, just automatically. And as a result, you then experience much more peace, tranquility and serenity in your life and the ability to really muscle through some of the most difficult obstacles and challenges that life can throw at you," he said.
Here is more of Fox News Digital's conversation with Roumie about the 25-day prayer challenge during Advent, which started on Monday — and about Roumie's own faith beliefs.
‘Deep gratitude’
Fox News Digital: In the midst of some of the most trying times today, how do you — and how does anyone — keep a focus on prayer, on God, on a connection with God? It's very, very easy to get distracted in today's world.
Jonathan Roumie: Yes, and I think that for me, I'm very easily distracted — and technology is one of the things that contributes to that distraction.
But in this case, I have such a deep gratitude to the technology that's arrived in the form of this app — of the Hallow app. I can literally go to my phone and if I find myself or my mind wandering — or my anxiety building — all I have to do is literally click on the app and just start praying or meditating on one of the challenges or one of the prayers.
There are thousands of prayers on this app. And I'm instantly transported into a sacred space, no matter where I am.
No matter what, if you live in a major city or if you live in a place that's just really busy, you can pop on your headphones and connect to the app. You start praying with a meditation and you're instantly just transported.
Liam Neeson (left) and Jonathan Roumie (right) are leading a 25-day prayer challenge for Advent this year on Hallow, the world's No. 1 prayer app. (Hallow)
This is something that I've been so grateful for — and especially as we go into the hubbub and the busyness of the Christmas season, it's something that I'm relying on daily, to be able to just cut through all that noise.
‘Transformative for people’
Question: Are people reaching out to you about your involvement with the app and asking you more about it?
Roumie: I've had so many people say they've cultivated a relationship with Jesus through prayer because they heard me talk about the app, or because they watched "The Chosen" and then they started seeing this pop up in other places.
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And they've gotten introduced to the app and to a more deeply cultivated prayer life — and in some cases it's been absolutely transformative for people.
Some people who've never been to church started going to church. Some people who haven't been to church for 20 years have come back to the church. People have converted — and all because they've fallen in love with the richness, the depth and the tradition of the Catholic Church.
Jonathan Roumie is pictured in "The Chosen," in which he plays Jesus Christ. "I literally was on my knees and I said, ‘Jesus, I surrender myself to you. Take care of everything.’ And He did," Roumie told Fox News Digital. ("The Chosen"/YouTube)
And obviously [the Hallow app] is authentically Catholic, but it is for all Christians — Christians of all denominations. There's something there for everybody, which is what makes the app so universally appealing.
‘Simple act of surrender’
Question: You've described an experience earlier in your life in which you prayed about leaving all of your anxieties and worries aside, and instead trusted that God would take care of things — and then after that came the role of Jesus in "The Chosen" for you. Is there a larger message here for people, things that others might learn from your experience?
Roumie: I think it all comes down to the simple act of surrender to God in a person's life. And I went through this in a very visceral, substantial and transformative way in my life five years ago.
I literally was on my knees and I said, "Jesus, I surrender myself to you. Take care of everything." And He did.
"It's a matter of tapping into [our] faith and allowing Him to be more involved in our lives — and surrendering is the first step to getting there"
And then three months later, I got called to do "The Chosen." It was a point that I think my life was building to when that happened — and I realized that trying to micromanage God was not something that was working in my favor.
And once I let him take the wheel, everything changed. The decisive moment was that simple prayer of surrender.
And I think that's really difficult for people, especially when we feel so out of control. When we turn on the news and see what's going on today, it feels like we have no control in our own lives.
"The Chosen" star Jonathan Roumie is shown in a scene from season 2. (Courtesy of "The Chosen")
But God hasn't forsaken us. He's not abandoned us. He's faithful to us to the very end. And it's a matter of tapping into that faith and allowing Him to be more involved in our lives — and surrendering is the first step to getting there.
And then, to continue to cultivate that relationship through prayer — that's how we sustain that surrender.
The Hallow app and especially this Advent challenge is a beautiful way to kickstart that, especially if a person hasn't ever tried praying consistently before.
‘So many options’
Question: For those who haven't used it yet, can you describe how the app is not a replacement for Scripture but actually offers robust access to the Bible?
Roumie: I narrate most of the New Testament in the app, so you have access to the Bible here, through many works and passages of Scripture and through [other people] as well.
And if you want something that's very specific, it is here. Plus, there are resources for mental health.
Jonathan Roumie, center, star of "The Chosen." He said his role in the series has "caused me to examine what exactly is my relationship with [Jesus] — and how can I go further in that relationship, how can I get close to Him, how can I grow deeper in communion with Him." (Courtesy of "The Chosen")
There is music.
And for me as a musician, music is so transportive and nourishing for the spirit — to be able to listen to music that kind of gets you in the mindset for prayer and worship.
There are just so many options that people have that it's kind of mind-bending.
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Question: How has playing the role of Jesus in "The Chosen" changed your life and changed you?
Roumie: It's allowed me to go deeper into my own relationship with Him.
It's caused me to examine what exactly is my relationship with Him — and how can I go further in that relationship, how can I get close to Him, how can I grow deeper in communion with Him.
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So it's challenged me on that level.
But as it challenges me, it also allows me to go further in that relationship — and to deepen my prayer life.
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