It is an obligation of the Church on certain days to Fast and Abstain from meat, and to pray and do almsgiving every day. Fr. Chris Alar explains why do we do penances and what is the meaning within and outside of Lent.

Turn to any page of St. Faustina's Diary, and you'll find spiritual gems. Like this one:This would be my mortification. I did not know that this would be so beneficial to my soul. The benefit is that I am meditating constantly on His sorrowful Passion and so, while I am eating, I am not preoccupied with what I am eating, but am reflecting on my Lord’s death. (618)

Father Anthony reflects on the urgency and tenderness of John 7:37–39, set on the final and greatest day of the feast, when Jesus suddenly cries out above the noise of ritual and crowds: “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink.” It is a startling invitation—not to effort, observance, or mastery, but to thirst itself—as if longing were the doorway God has been waiting to open.