Actor and entrepreneur Mark Wahlberg took to Instagram on Monday to encourage fans who are observing the Lenten season to “stay the course,” sharing his own temptations as he resisted the urge to make himself a drink at the Screen Actors Guild Awards after event organizers set up a custom margarita station in his hotel room.
In the caption of the post, Wahlberg encouraged his followers to “stay prayed up” as they “stay disciplined and avoid temptation.”
Wahlberg also tagged Hallow, a Catholic app that facilitates prayer and meditation, as part of his ongoing promotion of the app’s 40-day prayer challenge that coincides with Lent, a liturgical calendar period marked by fasting in the lead up to Easter Sunday.
Actors Jim Caviezel and Jonathan Roumie have likewise lent their voices to promote Hallow’s meditation tools for Lent.
Wahlberg’s appearance on the “TODAY” show to talk about Lent became the subject of some humor online in the days that followed Ash Wednesday last week, after a lower third graphic displayed on screen during the interview led some viewers to jokingly rebrand the Lenten season as “Mark Wahlberg’s 40-Day Challenge.”
Nevertheless, Wahlberg, who has become increasingly vocal about his faith in recent years, appears to be approaching his commitment to the 40-day fasting period with sincerity and determination.
“Only four days into my Lenten journey and I’m already being tested. I just showed up at the hotel,” Wahlberg said in a video in which he showcased the drink station that was waiting for him in his suite.
“I’m about to present to the SAG Awards, and look at what these guys offered me. What a beautiful gesture. Flecha Azul Blanco tequila with shot glasses, ready-made margarita mix, salted glasses, limes,” Wahlberg said, skillfully presenting the label of the tequila, which is produced by a company he owns. “Wow, I’m being tested.”
“But, you know what? We’ll save that for another time. I’m not going to waver. We can avoid the temptation at all costs,” Wahlberg went on to say as he departed from the drink station to sit on a couch.
“We’re gonna sit by the fire. We’re gonna have a water,” Wahlberg said. “And we’re going to think about in 36 days, when we can all have a Blanco, or a Cristalino, or anything else that you’ve given up for Lent. Stay strong.”
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“And remember, it comes from everywhere. You just gotta stay disciplined. Stay the course. Do not lose focus on the goal,” Wahlberg said, leaning in to look at the camera. “We are giving back, okay? We’re giving back to God for all his sacrifices. So let’s go. Stay strong.”
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