Mark Wahlberg has been strong in his beliefs and convictions for the entirety of his long and storied career. On Wednesday, he continued down that path of being true to himself by celebrating Ash Wednesday as he spoke on “Today” in 2023.
Wahlberg, a devout Catholic, is well known for his on-screen exploits as an actor and a director. In fact, Wahlberg had much to say about his faith while he spoke to Savannah Guthrie: “It’s everything, it’s afforded me so many things… God didn’t come to save the saints, He came to save the sinners… We want to be better versions of ourselves, and through focusing my faith, it’s allowed me to do that.”
To explain why he hasn’t spoken this way very often in the past, Wahlberg said that while he wants to share Christianity with his audience, he also understands that forcing it upon them is often not the right way to go about it. He said: “It’s a balance. I don’t wanna 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, you know, I cannot deny my faith.”
Continuing, he explained the importance of his faith and why he has to honor it, saying, “It’s important for me to share that with people. “I have friends from all walks of life and all different types of faiths and religions, so you know, it’s important to respect and honor them as well.”
Ash Wednesday plays an important role for the actor, who says that it allows him to reset and grow his faith as he builds discipline through prayer. He said, “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 being able to detach from those things and focus on… good habits as opposed to bad habits… just challenging people to be better versions of themselves.”
This sentiment is also one that Wahlberg works hard to bestow upon his children, even when they are in a different city than the one they call home. He says that going to Mass on Sunday is a must. In his words, “I want them to understand that dad has to start his day by getting on his hands and his knees. And no matter where I am, the priority on Sunday is to go to church.”
Wahlberg also shared something that many Christians already know, but that people outside of the religion often don’t see at a first glance. His faith brings him the discipline that has allowed him to become one of Hollywood’s biggest stars, he said, “Discipline has always been important for me in life. Once I started getting into movies and transitioned from music, I realized I needed a lot of discipline in my life. And that discipline has afforded me so many other things.”
He added, “I want to share that with people. So whether that’s with fasting… detaching from other things and just spending more time with God in prayer or in thoughtful reflection and those things are important.”
Watch Wahlberg here:
Featured image credit: screenshot from embedded video