Our Abandonment of Self-Denial

from Just Thomism:
Two of Christianity’s greatest cultural and social contributions are concern for the powerless and self-denial. The first is well known and still quite vibrant. The second no longer exists as a christian cultural or social force.

We are asked to deny ourselves things for the environment or for health reasons (like to stop smoking, eating trans fats or exploited animals, or burning fossil fuels), but none of these demands fasting or any other kind of general carnal restraint, and none are seen as a part of a way of life that would deny us carnal pleasures in any sort of general way for the sake of something higher. In our society, though one hand might take away fuels, fats, and tobacco; the other offers dope, condoms, credit cards, 1000 channels, any toy or book or consumer good we could want…