Mark Wahlberg recently talked about how his Catholic faith is important to him and how it affects his daily life.
The actor went on NBC’s Today show on Wednesday, which was also the first day of Lent in the Christian calendar. He said that he doesn’t try to hide his relationship with God.
It’s a balance,
While wearing a black cross on his forehead, the 51-year-old man told co-host Savannah Guthrie,
I don’t want to jam it down anybody’s throat, but I do not deny my faith. That’s an even bigger sin.
You know, it’s not popular in my industry but I cannot deny my faith,
he continued.
It’s important for me to share that with people. But, I have friends from all walks of life and all different types of faiths and religions, so it’s important to respect and honor them as well.
He also said that his faith helped him be disciplined in his work.
I’ve been rewarded for it so much, and I want to share that with people, whether that’s with fasting, working out more, detaching from other things and just spending more time with God, in prayer or in thoughtful reflection. Those things are important.
Watch the interview below:
In other parts of the interview, he also talked about how important it is to fast during Lent.
There are many different elements to fasting,
Mark Wahlberg told Guthrie.
I think the important thing to understand is that, first of all, if you have issues with food, there are other things. God knows the things that he wants you to detach from.
We all know those things that make us feel guilty, don’t make us feel as good as we should. So [it’s about] being able to detach from those things and focus on good habits as opposed to bad habits. There are challenges for fasting, like today, I won’t have any meat. I’ll have one meal today, and I’ll do that every Friday throughout Lent and Good Friday.
The actor said that the discipline needed to follow the rules of the religious period helps “people to be better versions of themselves.”
The Father Stu actor has never been afraid to say what he thinks about God.
Early last year, he said that he doesn’t force his kids to be Catholic just because he is. However, he does want them to respect his beliefs.
He told them that he hopes they’ll “fall into it on their own.”
They know that Dad can’t start the day without being in prayer, can’t start the day without reading my Scripture or going to Mass,
Mark Wahlberg explained.
And hopefully, instead of forcing that on them, they’ll say, ‘Well, if it works for Dad, maybe it’ll work for us,’ and they’ll kind of gravitate towards it on their own.
You have to admire how hard this man works, that’s for sure.
