These, and many others, are common labels people use to describe what kind of Catholic they are. In some circles, the word before “Catholic” is an important modifier, without which the faith itself is meaningless. These modifiers matter so much to some because identity, and the way it’s presented, gives definition to the way we live our entire lives.

I've been thinking about these labels, some of which I've used and others of which I've run away from at different points in my life. Often they were helpful: they provided an easy avenue into community with other people who identified similarly, and they gave me direction as I tried to figure out the kind of person I wanted to be. That being said, I've also seem the harm that can come from them.

Just as easily as these labels create community, they also create enemies. They draw a boundary line between us and other people who identify differently. Instead of relating as people seeking unity, we relate by making our differences clear. They can also bar us from exploring aspects of the truth that contradict our labels.

When I avoided being called a "traditional" Catholic, I missed out on a lot of the beauty contained within the history and practices of the Church before the era I now inhabit. Practices associated with “traditionalism” like devotional prayer and asceticism have added a lot to my spiritual life and it would be a shame to have missed out on them because they didn’t fit within my narrow self-identification.

Conversely, when I called myself a "conservative" Catholic, I struggled to reconcile integral teachings and practices of the Church like love for the poor, advocacy for the environment, and non-violence.

Jesus doesn't fit our labels. He's not a charismatic, traditionalist, evangelical, contemplative, conservative, or progressive alone; at different times and in different eras and on different issues He could be described by any of those adjectives and more! He confuses, confounds, and frustrates us who try to box ourselves into a particular identity or label. In a polarized, politics driven world, the broad spectrum of Jesus' life choices and associations are “dangerous” but when we let go of labels we actually discover freedom.

It's okay to feel more conservative than liberal (or the other way around), more active than contemplative, or more charismatic than traditional so long as what comes before any of those words is "Catholic." Rather than being an Evangelical Catholic, aim to be a Catholic evangelizer; rather than being a Traditional Catholic, aim to be a Catholic with a love for tradition. Jesus prayed that all of us would be one. Unity doesn't mean uniformity but it does mean letting our shared love for God lead us before everything else.