walking on knees

Does anyone of us get out of a bus and move on knees till one reaches home to 'show' one's love for one's mother. Does a mother demand such an act as a sign of love? Our devotions have seriously missed the track. Is pain the most desirable thing for God?

Mistakenly we are sure that God is happy about it. Or like a trickster child, we think that we can manipulate God's feelings by self inflicting pain. Or I am taking suffering as reparation for my 'horrible' sins and sins of the whole world. Did God ask for reparations?

Filial love is the essence of devotion. What is the function of self inflicted pain in filial love? Self inflicting of pain is often seen as a sign of deep devotion. It is where devotion often go out of track. 

Fasting and penance have their value only if they hold the sense of justice and charity, not as causes of spiritual benefits or superhuman qualities. They are not to be seen as something that pleases Gd in a special way. In case of natural sickness and pain, we cannot escape them. There can be direct healing through a divine intervention. It may be benefitting if we are able to go through them in god's grace; it may generate, acceptance, humility, patience, endurance, and peace.