The need for penance and sacrifice has been downplayed in recent times. "No penance, no power; no pain, no gain."
It is so simple as to be axiomatic in all spheres of human activity, especially the spiritual. The Angel at Fatima told the little children, "penance, penance, penance!", exhorting them to offer little sacrifices for the salvation of souls.
From the "Fatima Today" series.