Once upon a winter time a very earnest young man visited a famous rabbi. He told the rabbi he wanted to become a rabbi and asked for his advice.
The Rabbi stood at the window looking out into the yard while the rabbinical candidate gave him a glowing account of his piety and learning.,
“You see, Rabbi, I always dress in spotless white like the sages of old.
I never drink any alcoholic beverages; only water.
I perform numerous penances.
For instance, I always carry sharp-edged nails inside my shoes to mortify my flesh. Even in the coldest weather, I lie naked in the snow to punish my body.
And to complete my penance, I take a dozen lashes every day on my bare back.”

As the young man spoke, a stable boy led a white horse into the yard and took him to the water trough. The horse drank his fill of water, and having done so rolled in the snow, as horses sometimes do.
“Just look!” cried the rabbi.
“That animal too is dressed in white.
It also drinks nothing but water, has nails in his shoes and rolls naked in the snow.
Now I ask you, is it a saint or is it a horse?”
–The point the rabbi was making was that penance is not an end in itself.

So what was the purpose of our Lenten penance?
It is not meant to undo the past,
nor to persuade God to erase our sins.
We undertook penance to acknowledge that we are sinners
and that we desire to change our ways.
We leave the rest to Jesus as we hope to live forever.

Adapted from Flor McCarthy in his book ‘New Sunday & Holy Day Liturgies’