Mark Wahlberg is open about his Catholic faith and wears an ash cross on his forehead to mark the start of Lent, but he keeps his personal relationship with God a secret.
During a chat with Savannah Guthrie, the 51-year-old shared his thoughts on discussing religion publicly, describing it as “a balance.”
“I don’t want to force my faith on anyone, yet I do not do so. That is a greater sin. Even though it’s unpopular in my profession, I can’t hide my beliefs. I feel it’s crucial to convey such information to others. But it’s crucial to respect and appreciate them as well because I have friends from all different backgrounds and faiths.”
When it comes to raising his four children with his wife Rhea Durham, Wahlberg highlighted that he uses the same share-but-don’t-push approach. He elaborated, “I don’t push it on them. However, they are aware that Dad cannot begin the day without praying, reading my Scripture, or attending Mass. And ideally, rather than having that imposed on them, they will think, ‘Well, if it works for Dad, maybe it will work for us,’ and they will naturally gravitate toward it.”
Wahlberg reiterated, “I don’t want to force my faith on anyone, yet I do not do so. That is a greater sin.”
While discussing the Lenten season and its fasting periods, he provided further insights into his practices as a guest narrator and paid ambassador for the Catholic prayer app Hallow.
“Fasting has a variety of components,” Wahlberg explained. “I think it’s crucial to realize that there are other aspects to consider if you have problems with eating, first of all. God is aware of the things that you should distance yourself from.”
“Everyone is aware of the behaviors that don’t make us feel as wonderful as we should and make us feel guilty. So it’s about having the capacity to step back from them and concentrate on positive habits rather than harmful ones. Fasting has its drawbacks, such as the fact that I won’t be eating any meat today. Today, as well as every Friday through Good Friday, I’ll eat just one meal.”
Wahlberg will also guide listeners through enlightening teachings on the discipline of fasting as part of the Pray40 Lent Challenge on the Hallow app.
He believes that the discipline required to navigate Lent helps “people become better versions of themselves.”
From his personal experience, he noted, “Discipline has always been vital to me in life. I discovered I required a lot more discipline in my life as I started getting into movies and made the switch from music, and that discipline has given me so many other things. I’ve been so richly rewarded for it, and I want to share it with others, whether that be through fasting, more exercise, distancing from other activities, or simply spending more time in prayer or introspective thinking. These things are crucial.”
When asked to summarize his religious beliefs, Wahlberg simply said, “Oh, it’s everything.”
He added, “It’s given me so many opportunities. God obviously did not come to save the faithful. He arrived to deliver the guilty. Focusing on my faith has given me the opportunity to become a better version of myself, which is something we all aspire to do.”
