Don't ignore the determinant cause of suffering, lest you overturn the natural order. This piece for The Catholic Thing shows how this can happen, beginning with an explanation of compassion.
"Lent is the spanning of all that happened between Original Sin and Baptism." Mary Reed Newland puts Lent in perspective in this excerpt from her book, The Year and Our Children, on the Finer Femininity blog.
From St. Sabina at the Aventine in Rome to the Basilica of St. Mary Major: This post on A Catholic Life explains the traditions and history of the Stational Churches of Lent and provides daily links to information on the particular churches, including a photo of each.