Irish priest: Christians should stop saying 'Christmas' and 'Easter'

Labels have become secularized and commercialized.

An Irish Catholic priest has asked Christians to give up the words 'Christmas' and 'Easter,' because they have been hijacked by secular culture. Fr. Desmond O'Donnell says they should be replaced with new words that are distinctly Christian. 

LOS ANGELES, CA (California Network) -- A well-known Irish priest has called for the adandonment of 'Christmas' and 'Easter' by Christians because the names have been hijacked by secularists and commercialized beyond meaning. Fr. Desmond O'Donnell, who has written several influential books, says the words should be replaced. 

Fr. O'Donnell says he isn't targeting or criticizing non-believers, but that the holiday labels are 'lost.' 'We need to let it go, it's already been hijacked, and we just need to recognize and accept that,' he said. 

"I am simply asking that space be preserved for believers for whom Christmas has nothing to do with Santa and reindeer.

He added: "My religious experience of true Christmas, like so many others, is very deep and real, like the air I breathe. But non-believers deserve and need their celebration too, it's an essential human dynamic and we all need that in the toughness of life.

"I'm just trying to rescue the reality of Christmas for believers by giving up 'Christmas' and replacing it with another word.

"I'm all for Christians choosing to celebrate Christmas by going out for meals and enjoying a glass of wine, but the commercialization of anything is never good."

Fr. O'Donnell ended by warning that secularism would 'continue to launder the Church' unless Catholics address the change in the meaning of the word Christmas, from a holy day to a secularized phenomenon. 

In recent years, a growing backlash to the commercialization of the holidays has developed, especially Christmas. Black Friday shopping is especially detested as an orgy of commercialism hypocritically scheduled for mere hours following a day on which Americans at least give thanks for what they have (Thanksgiving). 

Fr. O'Donnell did not propose any new terms to replace Christmas and Easter, and it is unlikely his call to action will gain any traction. However, he is making a noteworthy point, which is that the Christian celebrations of Easter and Christmas have virtually nothing to do with the faith from which they originated. We, the Christians of the world, are responsible for this fact.