Here is the full transcript of actor Jonathan Roumie’s speech at The Catholic University of America’s 2024 commencement exercises.
Listen to the audio version here:
TRANSCRIPT:
President Kilpatrick, members of the Board of Trustees, faculty, administrators, honorees, families, guests, and fellow graduates, thank you. Yes, fellow graduates, because I’m now one of you, so thank you for this esteemed invitation and privilege.
Before I begin my formal remarks, I just wanted to say how impressed I am with the Catholic University of America. Sorry, let me clarify, THE Catholic University of America. How impressed I am by its staff, and its campus, its students, in experiencing the ethos and commitment of all who are working here to bring together the best of faith and reason in its approach to academics and arts and beyond. It’s my first time visiting, and everyone I’ve met just radiates warmth and pride for this place.
I had a wonderful time breaking bread last night with the president’s provost, staff, trustees, and a host of other beautiful guests, including being humbled by such an amazing array of acclaimed and distinguished honorees. I’m just truly humbled.
When I was first presented with this invitation and told that I would be receiving an honorary doctorate degree, I nearly passed out. By the way, I’m going to milk this degree for everything it’s worth till the end of my days, especially to my cousin who is an actual MD and went to medical school, so maybe art school wasn’t a complete waste of money. Yeah, give it up. And you have no idea how over the moon my Egyptian father is that his son, who possesses a BFA, now has a doctorate.
Doesn’t matter that it’s honorary, he just hears the word doctorate, and we good. I may as well be wearing a stethoscope at this point. In fact, actually, this is for you, Pop, where are the cameras, where are the cameras? Give you my best Sigma look here. No cap. Well, maybe this cap, it’s a nice cap. Can I keep the cap? Okay, we’ll talk.
Yeah, it’s fine. Not to mention, I also got this beautiful letter saying that I’d be following the footsteps of luminaries who have received this same degree. Giants of humanity and history, St. Mother Teresa, Archbishop Fulton Sheen, Reverend Hans Urs von Balthasar, President Coolidge, President Franklin D. Roosevelt, President Eisenhower, President Johnson. It’s just to clarify, just all of them received this that I, it’s no pressure at all. Just put this away.
Okay, here we are, my friends and fellow graduates, it is indeed my honor to be with you today.
The Formal Remarks
The formal remarks you’ve all been waiting for, and welcome to the Sermon on the Mount 2024. Strap in, because it’s going to be a long one again. This is an impressive crowd, though it’s actually a lot bigger than I thought it was going to be, so just bear with me. Last time I spoke at a crowd this big, there were loaves and fish and baskets of them. So many leftovers. Groundskeepers were pissed. Oh man. So I hope you’ve all eaten, because I got nothing.
Nothing except hopefully a few spiritual nuggets for nourishment. Gluten-free, of course, those nuggets. Likely vegan, maybe not. Still not sure where Gen Z lands on the whole food consumption thing.
But if you are hungry, I hear there’s a Chick-fil-A just blocks away. Supposed to be pretty good, so options, you know. I digress. When I contemplated what I would share with you today, I couldn’t help but consider the weight of knowing just how colossal this moment of transition is for all of you.
How vital it was for whomever would speak to you today, that they impart wisdom that was both memorable and practical. How consequential the right voice could have on your budding careers and subsequently your lives in general, because for some of you that person might be just one of the last responsible professionals to pour into your souls some of the most poignant advice you could ever receive before setting sail into the ocean of life.
So in contemplation, I couldn’t avoid asking myself that existential question all of you here surely asked yourselves in preparation for this momentous occasion, but what were you guys thinking? I assume Jordan Peterson was booked.
You’re like, okay. You are aware that the actor you selected to give advice to the graduating class heading into the workforce did take over 20 years to succeed, right? I just want to — I just need to address that. I just need to put that out in the open.
Was McConaughey booked? Because he’s pretty good. But you did it. You graduated. Congratulations. In the words of a first century TV rabbi, truly I tell you, not too shabby. Give yourselves another round of applause for getting it to this point.
For the past 10 years, over the past 10 years, I’ve had the honor of playing Jesus Christ in one media project or another, and for the last six of them on a television show called The Chosen, I’ve also had the opportunity to go deeper in exploring Jesus’ impact on the world in a documentary I hosted and produced called Jonathan and Jesus.
Three Lessons Learned from Playing Jesus
And over these last few years, I’ve learned a few things about myself and about Jesus that I thought might be relevant to you as you begin the next phase of your lives, concepts I wish I had heard upon graduating college myself. But I went to art school in New York City, so a bit of a different vibe there.
I’d like to share three simple lessons I’ve learned playing Jesus. Now, I don’t expect you to remember this entire speech or even most of it, but you know, make an effort, will you?
But if just one of these ideas stick or you experience a single moment that may impact you going forward, then glory to God.
And if you don’t remember a single word of it an hour from now, no need to mention it to anyone, just keep it to yourselves. So the first and most radical thing I’ve learned in my time playing Jesus is this. You don’t need to play Jesus for the world in order to be Jesus to the world.
I’ve realized that just because I play Jesus on a TV show doesn’t mean I can or I should stop being Christ to everyone I know when the cameras turn off. And neither should you. Just because you’re not an actor playing Jesus or you’re not a priest or a nun doesn’t mean you’re not meant to represent Him at all times wherever you go. Of course, boundaries are important.
People ask you for absolution. His eminence is sitting right here. But you get what I’m saying. And while we’re on the topic of priests and nuns, please, for the love and the future of Holy Mother Church, pray for vocations.
The church would cease to exist on earth, especially sacramentally, if vocations are not prayed for and answered by God and the Holy Spirit. Plus, I promised a group of cloistered Carmelite nuns I’d make that pitch. So check that box there. But honestly, please pray for vocations.
Back to you. There’s that quote attributed to William J. Thoms, “You may be the only Bible people ever read.” Being Jesus to the world doesn’t mean God is expecting perfection from you. We all know that was accomplished by only one person on earth and his mother. But you must endeavor to preach the gospel by the life you live, by your actions and the choices you make, by the political positions you take, and advocacy for the causes you champion. And yes, especially as Catholic Christians, that means defending life at all stages.
By doing this, you are brought closer to perfection in His eyes. I know what you’re thinking, but this is insane. Things are insane. People are out of control. The world is on fire. Yes, it may appear that way. But who do you think is in charge? Don’t let the enemy tempt you to pick up a can of gasoline and add to the flames of the chaos and the fear.
Be ready with a hose filled with words of comfort and consolation, ready to put out those flames. Offer a blanket of peace, the peace of acting in accordance with the Holy Spirit, providing the solace and wisdom of Jesus so desperately needed in our times. This is your testing ground. Pray for those who disagree with you or even condemn you.
Let restraint be your guide, especially in the digital age when it is so easy to just react. But why should we be restrained when we are persecuted for our beliefs more than ever, perhaps? One word, one name above all others, Jesus. He told us this time was coming, Matthew 24:6, “You will hear of wars and reports of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for these things must happen. But it will not yet be the end. Nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes from place to place.”
And He continues, “You will be hated by all nations because of My name.” In times of anxiety and desperation, sometimes our only option is that which leads me to the second radical thing I’ve learned, playing Jesus: Pray more.
Before I can play Jesus, I have to pray to Jesus. As my walk with Jesus has gone deeper and gotten more intense, so have the spiritual attacks. The phrase “new levels, new devils” comes to mind often. So I get to it instead of going around it.
When life seems cray, get on your knees and pray. The era we’re living in demands a revolution of deep prayer, one of silence and solitude amidst the din of the world in order to cultivate a sense of peace and harmony within. Jesus exhorted us from the beginning the necessity of praying. St. Paul reminds us in 1 Thessalonians, “pray without ceasing.” So I do. And when things really get tough, the game changing triumvirate: prayer, fasting and repentance. If I’m feeling particularly burdened or attacked spiritually, I fast.
And before I shoot a single frame, I take stock of all the ways in which I’ve fallen short in my life. And there are many. And I bring them into the sacrament of reconciliation regularly, followed by the sacrifice of the mass and the receipt of the Eucharist. By this, I’m granted peace.
I’m given wisdom in areas of my life experiencing conflict beyond my human understanding. And I’m strengthened to go forward and to handle situations I’m otherwise overwhelmed by. For instance, I meet thousands and thousands of people around the world over the course of a year. When they see me, often call me Jesus.
It seems natural now almost. It’s as if — it’s as if they’re hoping to experience in real time the feeling that the Holy Spirit gives them when they’re watching me play Jesus, speak His words, His life changing words on TV or in cinemas. And then they wish to continue the experience they’re having by sharing with me some of their most sacred moments or telling me some of their most personal struggles or, in extreme cases, beginning to recount their confessions. Don’t worry, fathers.
I don’t always give absolution, just so you know. I know the words, but I won’t. Restraint. That’s what I was talking about earlier. But when this kind of experience defines my day to day, as you can imagine, it can be overwhelming.
It’s humbling and it’s overwhelming. And still at times in my weakness in humanity, I ask myself, why would God give this to me? How has He seen me fit to become worthy enough to even share this association? And with three more seasons to film for the show and a planned expansion to reach a billion people in 600 languages, how could I ever expect to handle that kind of responsibility, the weight, that kind of weight and fame on a global scale? I couldn’t. I can’t. And I’m not expected to. Not alone.
Not without Him and His strength given to me weekly, if not daily, in the mass through His real presence in the blessed sacrament. His real presence in the blessed sacrament. His real presence in the blessed sacrament. John chapter 6, it’s all there.
And not without the mantle of protection and intercession of his and all humans’ blessed mother, Mary. Not without the armor and artillery of the saints and angels in heaven going to war with me the minute I bless myself to start each day. That’s the power of prayer. I get asked so often, so here are just a few of my favorite prayers, which you can also pray with me on the hallow app, the Divine Mercy Chaplet, the litany of humility will change your life. Padre Pio’s stay with me. Surrender Novena, and of course the Rosary, among many, many others.
Speaking of the power and influence of the blessed mother, a quick side story. It’s interesting we’re here on the steps of the Basilica. About 20 years or so ago I spoke to a priest here during an annual mass that my parish in Long Island, New York at the time would make a special field trip here for. There was a moment when they had confessions and I recounted to this wise father a dream I had recently had where I was on a train heading to Long Island from New York City and suddenly I found myself as we were pulling into the station, walking alongside the train, which was about two stories up on an elevated track.
Effectively in the dream I was walking on air and people in the train looked out the window to see me performing this obvious miracle. Just jaws dropped. Suddenly I found myself inside in the train walking through the center aisle from car to car and the people who had seen me walking on air now inside the train dropped to their knees and started worshiping me and identifying me as if I were Jesus saying, “Jesus.” And I knew he said, “No, no, get up. Don’t do that. I’m not Jesus.”
The irony 20 years later, God’s sense of humor is unmatched. When I finished my story, that priest just kind of looked at me and said, “You ever thought about the priesthood?” I think I said to him honestly, “Well, I don’t know if I feel called to the priesthood, but I’m sure it means something.” Sure enough, the prophecy of that metaphor has made it clear to me that God can and will use anyone and any means necessary to call us to Himself and to serve and emulate Him.
And in my case, it’s quite literally. And when you commit to serving God first and not yourselves first, but God first, that’s when your true success will begin. But only when you put into action these three things, the first two I already mentioned, being Jesus to others in the world, amping up your prayer life. And the third and most radical concept, surrender.
The Power of Surrender
You’re not in charge. God is. I cannot underscore this enough, but I would not be standing with you here today if God had not brought me to my knees in utter desperation to surrender my entire life, and more specifically, my career over to Him, something I hadn’t even considered before. You want to know just how perfect God’s timing is?
So this watershed moment that I’m about to describe to you, this life-altering experience for me of absolute surrender, occurred six years ago today. This morning, absolute surrender. I’m going to tell you it’s absolutely true. Six years ago, May 12th was a Saturday.
On that day, God remade me a completely new creature in Christ, and here’s how. For the majority of my life, I thought I was in charge and that I was solely responsible for my rise and my fall. Right after graduation, panic set in. I needed a job. I had no concept of including God in my plans. I didn’t even ask them. Maybe that’s not you, and maybe it is. You’re at the peak of your potential, and you might be sitting there thinking, “My bro, I’m so ready to go crush this life right now.”
“I don’t even need advice. I’ve got this fire gig lined up, and I’ve got this sick new whip, and these goals, bro, green flags all the way, my guy.” And that may be true, and your whip might actually be sick, and you may be the CEO of green flags because you’ve slayed it the last four years and your plans are locked in, and they truly might be fire, but let me ask you, is God in the fire of it all with you?
Is He with you? So in my day-to-day, it was like, I’ve got this. The Lord needs me to depend on myself. “The Lord helps those who help themselves.” You know which gospel that appears in? None of them. The gospel of Ben Franklin or Algernon Sydney or Ancient Greece, depending on what source you use. I believed in God. I went to church. I volunteered. I ushered and lectured. I’d administered the Eucharist and assisted with our CIA.
I activated an entertainment ministry. I sous-cheffed in our soup kitchen, but I was still penniless and preoccupied with my own survival as if, as if God stopped counting the hairs on my head. Lies. I’d cry out to Him in the worst of times, and in my most desperate moments, “Please, Lord, help me, Lord, save me, Lord.”
And then a brief moment of reprieve, a booked job, and the feeling would pass. Things got better. Anxiety would dissipate, and I’d leave Him in the pews again, waiting until that next moment of crisis. The pressure of my circumstances continued to mount impossibly until that morning, six years ago today, my moment of deep crisis arrived.
I found myself in a proverbial hole I couldn’t get out of. The Chosen didn’t exist for me. I had 20 bucks in my pocket, negative 80 dollars in my checking account, weeks without any of the numerous jobs that I was trying to hold down to make ends meet. Drowning in thousands of dollars of debt, enough food to last one day, zero opportunities, and not a single Chick-fil-A coupon.
So I did what I’m telling you to do. I dropped to my knees, and I poured myself out to the Lord and surrendered everything to Him, saying, “I can’t do this without You. So whatever You will for me, I will accept it. Even if it means quitting acting, leaving the arts, whatever it is, I surrender.”
And for the first time, I actually meant it. And the weight lifted off me immediately. It wasn’t on me anymore. I didn’t have to worry about it. My circumstances were no different. I was still broke. But my disposition and my heart for Christ completely changed. I entrusted everything to Him.
So I went and spent that last 20 bucks on a killer brunch, and I simply waited. And I’m like, “Well, this should be interesting.” I came home a couple hours later. I opened my mailbox just out of habit, and there sat in front of my face four mysterious checks.
Four. I went into my apartment, dumbfounded, set up my phone, and recorded myself opening them so I’d have proof later on that I wasn’t imagining this. I started my day negative $80. By the end of opening those checks, I had $1,100. May as well have been a million dollars at that point. You can actually see this moment that I shared in my documentary, because I wanted to share it for anybody else that is struggling or in crisis or feeling desperate as if God doesn’t really know what they’re going through. He does. I’m telling you, He does.
Conclusion
He’s listening. You just have to completely trust Him and surrender unconditionally. It’s the hardest thing that I’ve ever done, but the greatest thing that has ever happened to me, and it will be the most life-changing thing to ever happen to you if you allow it, especially at this point in your young lives.
Look at what He’s done for me in six years. It’s insane. Imagine what He could do for you if you invite Him into that level of intimacy and surrender in your lives. I found that surrender leads to salvation in every way possible.
Your self-reliance won’t cure you. Your willpower won’t save you. Your independence will not deliver you from that which seeks to destroy your faith in God, erode your hope in Christ, or corrode your love for the Holy Spirit and humanity itself. These are all lies from the enemy.
The more you commit, the deeper He takes you. The more you love Him, the higher you go. The more you seek Him, the wilder your journey gets. I mean, I’m here today graduating with you, and I’m a doctor now.
So, in your complete surrender to God, you will always succeed, because Jesus was, is, and ever shall be enough. O Jesus, I surrender myself to You. Take care of everything. The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make His face to shine upon you and be gracious to you. The Lord lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace. I bless you, I love you, and congratulations again.
