>>> WELCOME BACK, EVERYBODY, TODAY IS ASH WEDNESDAY, MARKING THE BEGINNING OF LENT FOR MANY CHRISTIANS AROUND THE WORLD, AND IT IS THE REASON THAT MARK WAHLBERG IS WITH US THIS MORNING. IN ADDITION TO BEING AN ACTOR, A PRODUCER, AND AN ENTREPRENEUR, HE IS ALSO A GUEST NARRATOR AND SPOKESPERSON FOR THE CATHOLIC PRAYER APP CALLED "HALL OW" AND THIS LENTEN SEASON HE IS LEADING LISTENERS ON THE PRAYERS OF FASTING. GOOD MORNING TO YOU. >> GOOD MORNING. >> I LOVE WHEN YOU'RE HERE AND WE CAN TALK ABOUT THIS SIDE OF YOU BECAUSE IT IS ONE THAT PEOPLE MAY NOT KNOW ABOUT. TALK TO ME ABOUT WHAT YOU ARE DOING WITH THIS FASTING BECAUSE PEOPLE THINK OF FASTING AND THEY THINK NOT EATING. GO. >> YES. >> GIVING UP NOT EATING. AND FASTING CAN BE A SPIRITUAL PRACTICE. TELL ME ABOUT IT. >> THERE ARE PLANE DIFFERENT ELEMENTS TO FASTING AND THERE ARE IMPORTANT THINGS TO UNDERSTAND, AND FIRST OF ALL, IF YOU HAVE ISSUES WITH FOOD, THERE ARE MANY OTHER THINGS, GOD KNOWS WHAT YOU NEED TO DETACH FROM, AND THERE ARE THINGS THAT MAKE US FEEL GUILTY, DON'T MAKE US FEEL AS GOOD AS WE SHOULD AND DETACH FROM THOSE THINGS AND FOCUS ON GOOD HABITS AS OPPOSED TO BAD HABITS SO THERE ARE CHALLENGES FOR FASTING, TODAY, I WON'T HAVE ANY MEAT, ONE MEAL TODAY AND I WILL DO THAT EVERY FRIDAY THROUGHOUT WEEK AND GOOD FRIDAY, BUT JUST CHALLENGING PEOPLE TO BE BETTER VERSIONS OF THEMSELVES. >> AND IT IS INTERESTING, I WAS TELLING YOU BEFORE, I GREW UP IN A FAITH BACKGROUND BUT NOT CATHOLIC SO I HAVE NEVER GIVEN UP SOMETHING FOR LENT. THIS YEAR, I DID. NOW, BECAUSE I'M NOT A GOOD CATHOLIC, I THOUGHT IT WAS LAST WEEK, SO I ACTUALLY STARTED LAST WEDNESDAY. >> SOW GOT A HEAD START THEN. >> OVERACHIEVING. >> AMAZING. >> I GAVE UP INSTAGRAM, JUST BECAUSE I THOUGHT, YOU KNOW WHAT, I WOULD LIKE TO USE THE TIME I MIGHT BE JUST SCROLLING TO BE DOING SOMETHING ELSE MORE REFLECTIVE AND THOUGHTFUL, AND I FOUND LENT TO BE INTERESTING, BECAUSE IT DOESN'T HAVE TO MEAN DEPRIVATION, IT CAN JUST MEAN CHOOSING SOMETHING ELSE THAT SERVES YOU AND CONNECTS TO YOU YOUR FAITH AND YOUR COMMUNITY BETTER. >> YES, AND ULTIMATELY, I JUST THINK IT GIVES ME, DISCIPLINE HAS ALWAYS BEEN IMPORTANT FOR ME IN LIFE, ONCE I STARTED GETTING IN 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 AND I HAVE BEEN AAWARDED FOR IS SO MUCH AND SHIRE WITH OTHER PEOPLE, FASTING, DETACHING FROM OTHER THINGS, AND JUST SPENDING MORE TIME WITH GOD IN PRAYER OR THOUGHTFUL REFLEKS AND THOSE THINGS ARE IMPORTANT. >> YOUR FAITH MEANS SO MUCH TO YOU. HAVE YOU ALWAYS TALKED ABOUT IT? OR DID YOU -- >> I HAVE. >> OR DID YOU GET TO A POINT LIKE OKAY, I HAVE A PLATFORM HERE, AND I JUST WANT TO SHARE THIS PART OF MY JOURN QUI. >> I HAVE. IT IS A BALANCE. I DON'T WANT TO JAM IT DOWN ANYBODY'S FAITH BUT I DO NOT DENY MY FAITH. THAT'S A BIGGER SIN. IT IS NOT POPULAR IN MY TRY BUT I CANNOT DENY MY FAITH, IT IS IMPORTANT TO SHARE THAT WITH PEOPLE BUT I HAVE FRIENDS FROM ALL WALKS OF LIFE AND ALL DIFFERENT TYPES OF FAITH AND REGIONS AND IT IS IMPORTANT TO RESPECT AND HONOR THEM AS WELL. >> WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO YOU, YOUR FAITH? >> IT'S EVERYTHING. IT REALLY HAS. IT HAS AFFORDED ME SO MANY THINGS, OBVIOUSLY, YOU KNOW, GOD DIDN'T COME HERE TO SAVE THE SAINTS, HE CAME TO SAVE THE SINNERS AND WE ALL HAVE ISSUES IN OUR LIVES AND WE WANT TO BE BETTER VERSIONS OF OURSELVES AND THROUGH FOCUSING MY FAITH, IT HAS ALLOWED ME TO DO THAT AND I KNOW A LOT OF PEOPLE HAVE BEEN CHALLENGED FOR COVID AND EVERYTHING ELSE AND I WAS AWAY FROM PEOPLE AND CHURCH AND COMMUNITY AND CONNECTION FOR A LONG TIME, BUT YOU KNOW, WITH PEOPLE WEARING MASKS AND STAY AWAY FROM EACH OTHER, WE WANT TO BRING PEOPLE TOGETHER. >> COMMUNITY IS A BIG PART OF THE FAITH PRACTICE. >> HUGE. >> ABSOLUTELY. >> AND THE WORLD AFFORDS A LOT OF COMFORT, AND WE'RE NOT MADE FOR COMFORT, WE'RE MADE FOR GREATNESS AND WE HAVE TO BE IN THE FIGHT TO GET THE REWARDS. >> I CHECKED OUT THE APP. IT IS A GREAT WAY TO JUMP START YOUR OWN REFLECTION. HERE YOU ARE ON THE MORNING SHOW, MOST OF OUR GUESTS WHO COME ON, I APOLOGIZE, SAME I'M SORRY ABOUT THESE HOURS BUT YOU WAKE UP, YOU STILL WAKE UP AT 2:30 IN THE MORNING? >> SO AGAIN -- TODAY I WOKE UP AT 4:30, TODAY IS NOT A WORKOUT DAY FOR ME AND I CAME FROM, NOT THE WEST COAST BUT THE MIDWEST, AND SO YOU KNOW, REALLY DEPENDS. I DEFINITELY HAVE TO GET EIGHT HOURS. AND YOU KNOW, LIKE IN THE MORNING, GETTING UP EARLY, ALL OF THESE THINGS CAN BE CHALLENGES THAT YOU CAN PUT FOR YOURSELF, AND THOSE AGAIN, BETWEEN YOU AND GOD. SO YOU KNOW, CHALLENGES YOURSELF TO GET UP A LITTLE EARLIER, HAVE SOME REFLECTION TIME, AND GET AFTER. IT IF YOU GOT A HEAD START, LIKE YOU SAID, YOU STARTED A WEEK EARLY. >> YES. >> YOU ARE SO FAR AHEAD. >> WELL, AFTER YOU MY FRIEND, THE ONLY REASON I EVEN ANNOUNCED THAT I AM QUITTING INSTAGRAM IS SO I WOULD BE ACCOUNTABLE TO IT. >> YES ABSOLUTELY. >> SO WHEN I GET BACK ON, EVERYBODY IS GOING TO KNOW AND WAITING FOR ME. >> AND SAME THING, I CAN'T WAIT TO GET INTO A HEALTH KICK AND I'MNOTE KNOWN FOR BEING OUTWARD, I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO RECONNECTING TO PEOPLE, GOING BACK TO MASS REGULARLY, IT IS DPITING, I WOKE UP TODAY LIKE I FEEL THE SAME ENTHUSIASM FOR CHRISTMAS WHEN I WAS A KID. >> IT FEELS GOOD WHEN YOU'RE WALKING ON THE PATH. AND BY THE WAY, YOU MOVED TO NEVADA. >> YES. >> TELL ME ABOUT. THAT THE WHOLE FAM? EVERYBODY? >> YES. THE KIDS PURSUING THEIR INTERESTS, YOU KNOW. MY DAUGHTER AND HER EQUESTRIAN LIFE. MY SON AS HOPEFULLY A FUTURE PROFESSIONAL GOLFER. MY OTHER SEWN SON IS A JUNIOR. MY DAUGHTER IS IN COLLEGE. >> YOU HAVE FOUR TEENAGERS. >> THAT IS SCARY. THAT WHAT IS HAPPENING WITH THE FOUR TEENS. HOW DO YOU, DO YOU TALK TO THEM ABOUT FAITH? HOW DO YOU -- >> I DO. I JUST DON'T, AGAIN, I DON'T FORCE IT ON THEM. LIKE EVERYBODY'S GOT TO BE IN CATHOLIC SCHOOL, WE GOT TO GO TO MASS EVERY SUNDAY, THAT CAN ALSO, YOU KNOW, CREATE SOME RESENTMENT. I WANT THEM TO GRAVITATE IT IN A NATURAL WAY. I WANT THEM TO UNDERSTAND THAT DAD HAS TO START BY GETTING ON HIS HANDS AND KNEES AND NO MATTER WHERE I AM, THE PRIORITY IS TO GO TO CHURCH AND TO DO THOSE THINGS AND SEE THEM, HOPEFULLY THEY WILL SAY THERE'S GOT TOING SOMETHING THERE AND LET THEM DO IT ON THEIR OWN. >> ABSOLUTELY. I ALWAYS SAY, I WILL INTRODUCE AND THEN LET GOD DO THE REST. >> MY PARENTS MADE US GO TO CHURCH AND THEY DIDN'T EVEN GO WITH US, THEY SAID YOU GUYS GOT TO GO, WE WOULD WALK DOWN AND GET IN THERE, AND GO TO THE PARK AND GO TO THE TRAIN AND GO SOMEWHERE ELSE AND THEN COME HOME. >> YES, THERE IS A BETTER WAY. >> YES. >> MARK, THANK YOU SO MUCH. >> THANK YOU. >> NICE TO HAVE YOU HERE.
