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How THE CHOSEN’s Jonathan Roumie Embraces This Christian Tradition
By Movieguide® Contributor
As we enter the Lent season, THE CHOSEN actor Jonathan Roumie is embracing the hallowed time of remembrance by growing his relationship with Christ.
“The whole idea of the things that one can do during Lent, so you know, traditionally, a lot of people think, oh, Catholics, you just give up stuff for Lent. And you, like, give up drinking coffee or give up sugar, give up sweets; you can do that, it’s a part of it. I mean, the idea is to sort of remember the ways in which Christ, during his 40 days in the desert fasted from food and water,” Roumie told the That Sounds Fun podcast. “We’re not being asked to do that, but the things that we maybe feel we need, the things that we rely on, the things that we depend on to kind of give us pleasure or comfort.”
“To kind of go into a period of discomfort, knowing that when this period is over, there is this sort of rebirth in the spirit, or of our perspective on what we went through during those 40 days where we gave something up,” he continued.
Commonly, “Lent, in the Christian church, a period of penitential preparation for Easter. In Western churches it begins on Ash Wednesday, six and a half weeks before Easter, and provides a 40-day period for fasting and abstinence (Sundays are excluded), in imitation of Jesus Christ’s fasting in the wilderness before he began his public ministry. Almsgiving, the practice of giving money or food to the poor and performing other acts of charity, is also encouraged. In Eastern churches Lent begins on the Monday of the seventh week before Easter and ends on the Friday that is nine days before Easter. This 40-day “Great Lent” includes Saturdays and Sundays as relaxed fast days,” according to the Encyclopedia Britanica.
Roumie, however, emphasized that Lent isn’t only about fasting. He also encouraged Christians to step out of their comfort zone and serve their neighbors in a way they normally do not in order to further step into a life that is like Christ’s.
“In addition to giving stuff up, perhaps a person can go and, if they’ve never donated their time or volunteered at, like, a food bank or something, make that part of the practice as well,” Roumie said. “Help the poor, help the needy, you know, help the widows and the orphans. Kind of pick up those elements.”
Roumie also encourages Christians to be very intentional about their prayer life during this season and turn to God to fill the void left by their fast. As a partner of the Hallow Prayer App, Roumie suggests Christians try out their Pray40 prayer challenge which leads users through 40 days of intentional prayer.
Roumie is far from the only Christian celebrity to take this time to reflect on Christ’s sacrifice and turn his heart toward what God is doing. Here’s what others have said:
Related: Jonathan Roumie Announces Next Faith-Based Project
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