Mark Wahlberg wore an ash cross on his forehead in observance of Lent during an interview with “Today’s” Samantha Guthrie, where he spoke about the significance of his Christian faith in his own life despite its relative absence in Hollywood.
Wahlberg spoke about his dedication to Catholicism and how his faith has transformed his life during the interview conducted on Ash Wednesday. He said his belief system is not entirely “popular” among the Hollywood company he keeps.
“I don’t want to jam it down anybody’s throat, but I do not deny my faith,” Wahlberg said. “That’s an even bigger sin. You know, it’s not popular in my industry, but I cannot deny my faith. It’s important for me to share that with people.”
The famous actor showed respect for people of different religious backgrounds. “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 said.
Wahlberg discussed the structure that his faith brings to his daily life.
“Discipline has always been important for me in life,” he told Guthrie. “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.” (RELATED: Pope Francis Criticizes ‘Conservative’ And ‘Progressive’ Wings For Politicizing Church)
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“I’ve been rewarded for it so much, and I want to share that with people, so 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. And those things are important,” he continued.
“Oh, it’s everything,” Wahlberg said, speaking about the overall meaning of religion in his life. “It’s afforded me so many things. Obviously, you know, God didn’t come to save the saints. He came to save the sinners.”
The “Transformers” star proudly shares his passion for Christianity as a guest narrator and paid spokesperson for the Catholic prayer app Hallow.
“We’ve all had things and issues in our lives, and we want to be better versions of ourselves, and, through focusing on my faith, it’s allowed me to do that,” Wahlberg said.