The last miracle Jesus performed was turning bread and wine into His Body & Blood. And this too was during a feast.

During Lent we commemorate the events that lead to the Passion of Jesus on Good Friday. In Pre-Vatican 2 days, people were asked to fast and make physical sacrifices so as to get some connection with Jesus experience during the Passion.

Now the emphasis is more on reconciliation, which was the sole purpose of Jesus sojourn on Earth - to reconcile humankind with God. We are asked by the Church to patch up broken relationships. Actually this is more challenging and humbling than merely giving up on physical pleasures. But the Church still encourages us to donate our money to the needly too, not just during Lent but everyday of our lives.