Catholic actor Mark Wahlberg shared what he was doing for Lent, along with some advice on how to grow spiritually during the season leading up to Easter.
“It’s not so much that I’m giving up. I’m really trying to do more, and also I’m just trying to better myself as a person, as a father, as a husband, you know, you gotta grow, gotta grow,” Wahlberg responded when fellow actor Mario Lopez asked what he was giving up for Lent.
The star of the upcoming ARTHUR THE KING movie further gave a suggestion for those observing Lent.
“[T]he only thing that I can recommend you give up is if it’s something that keeps you from trying to continue to pursue a relationship with your higher power and the Lord,” he added.
Lopez is also a devoted Catholic who attends service weekly.
“I think as I’ve gotten older, I’ve just tried to build a more spiritual muscle in a business that is very unpredictable,” he told Fox News Latino. “It’s nice to have something that is consistent in our life – family and faith is that for me.”
The ACCESS HOLLYWOOD host posted about his son’s first communion, as Movieguide® previously reported:
“Our Dominic had his 1st Holy Communion & we couldn’t be more proud…” Lopez captioned a photo of him and his family.
Lopez and his wife, Courtney Mazza, married in 2012 and share three children: 10-year-old Gia, 7-year-old Dominic, and 2-year-old Santino.
Lopez is open about his Catholic faith and was baptized in the Jordan River in Israel in 2018.
Wahlberg, along with THE CHOSEN’s Jonathan Roumie and SOUND OF FREEDOM’s Jim Caviezel, are partnering with the Hallow app for Lent in a Pray40 challenge.
Wahlberg recently shared on THE INGRAHAM ANGLE that the reason behind the success of the Hallow app, which has seen 14 million downloads since its launch in 2018, is due to people’s “thirst and the need and the desire to reconnect.”
He explained that he got involved with the app because he is “constantly looking for ways to utilize the talents and gifts” that God gave him.
“I would have to attribute all of my success … personally and professionally to my faith,” the father of four said. “And so I always knew that I wasn’t this blessed and fortunate to forget about that and not give glory to God and give all the praise to Him.”
Movieguide® previously reported on the importance of Wahlberg’s faith:
“[Faith] it’s everything, it’s afforded me so many things,” the actor said during a recent appearance on the TODAY show. “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.”
He continued, “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. 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.”
Wahlberg also spoke about Lent and the importance of discipline when it comes to faith.
“God knows the things that he wants you to detach from,” he explained. “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.”