Fr. Z: Dumb liberal idea #3464: Removing Holy Water during Lent

From the official response by the CDW:

The encouragement of the Church that the faithful avail themselves frequently of the [sic] of her sacraments and sacramentals is to be understood to apply also to the season of Lent. The "fast" and "abstinence" which the faithful embrace in this season does not extend to abstaining from the sacraments or sacramentals of the Church. The practice of the Church has been to empty the Holy Water fonts on the days of the Sacred Triduum in preparation of the blessing of the water at the Easter Vigil, and it corresponds to those days on which the Eucharist is not celebrated (i.e., Good Friday and Holy Saturday).

The Orthodox often justify the cessation of celebrating the Divine Liturgy during Lenten as abstaining from Holy Things. For example:

Byzantine Catholics, like the Orthodox, do not celebrate the Divine Liturgy (Mass) during Lenten weekdays because Lent is considered so sacred that even the Eucharist is fasted from, save for the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts.

Is this ratonale authoritative or "official"? I never really understood it, since the sacraments were instituted precisely for our sanctification.