Each and every person is called to Holiness! For the Christian this is more or less obvious, for he knows that unless he is holy, he will not enter heaven. He knows too, that to become holy he must remove from his mind and heart anything that might be an obstacle to God's action in him, and these obstacles are many, whether in the mind obscured by sin or in the will led by our passions, as well as external obstacles that can be many and strong. To become a saint and grow in holiness, requires effort and battle against internal and external enemies. This battle leads the Christian to renunciation (to reject, to abandon sin), mortification (to be ashamed, to be embarrassed of his sins), penance (to atone for his sins, to amend), and to the acceptance of his cross for the glory of God.

Sacred Scriptures insists often on this theme. We need only remember a few among the more significant: "If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me" (Mt. 16-24). Saint Paul  writes to the Corinthians: "I chastise my body and subdue it, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified" (Cor. 9-27).
The Catholic Church on fasting and abstinence affirms: "It is true that the Master does not impose in an explicit way to his disciples any particular practice of fasting and abstinence. But He reminds them of the necessity to fast to fight against the evil one, who is the devil. And all through His life, in a number of significant circumstances, He makes clear its importance and indicates the spirit and style with which it must be practiced." Penance then is a fundamental element of our religion. But in what does it consist? And how are we to understand it?

The Value Of Penance
Penance, as a supernatural virtue, (a virtue is a good habit) helps us overcome sin, which is an offense against God, through suffering and reparation. Penance educates us to renunciation and sacrifice. Without penance we cannot speak of the mastering of our passions, nor of true spiritual progress. Penance not only makes us recognize the evil we have committed, but it makes us also aware of our duty to make reparation, and to change our lives and place ourselves seriously on the right path. This must be considered positively as a sincere conversion, a laborious and painful rebirth of our soul, that frees itself from the slavery of sin. In this sense penance becomes a necessary condition for all Christian life, in fact we can say for all human life, worthy of the name, that seeks to rise above the baser instincts of the body and the senses, to those of the spirit. And in the light of this, the unpleasant and painful realities of life too acquire new meaning and value. Suffering, pain and sacrifice become powerful and unfailing instruments for our redemption and spiritual progress.

Prayer - Fasting - Acts Of Charity
We all know how important prayer is in our lives, but very few of us make use of this powerful means with much conviction.  Prayer however, in order to obtain God's pardon and the things we desire, that are in conformity with God's will, must above all be humble and trustful. Fasting and abstinence are closely allied to the practice of Sacramental Penance (Confession), when we recognize we have offended God and our neighbor and we seek forgiveness. However, it is not the outward and material acts of fasting and abstinence themselves that are of value. They acquire value when accompanied by a sincere change of heart that leads to a new life of righteousness and charity.

The reason why we are called to fulfill these acts is because we are incorporated in Christ by Baptism and the life of Our Savior flows in our souls and in our bodies through it. Now the spirit of Christ was a spirit of penance and thanksgiving offered from the moment of His birth to Calvary. So we too must have the same spirit of Christ and be living hosts in obedience to the will of the Father, in imitation of our Head, Christ, and for the good of the whole Church.

The main acts of penance that we must practice in life are: the acceptance of the crosses that God sends us, with the resignation, even joy, and always with patience: the fulfillment of our daily duties with faithfulness and sacrifice, in union with Jesus Christ, and alms giving. For penance to be complete it must be accompanied by mortification, which has the salutary effect of making us avoid present and future sins. Mortification helps us fight against the flesh and to flee the proximate occasions of sin. It frees us from a disordered love of creatures. It makes us become master of ourselves, over the world and the devil. It makes us participate in the mystery of Christ's death and makes us generous in fulfilling the acts of charity.

Source: The voice of Padre Pio.