Being a "practicing" Roman Catholic

My new e-pal finally wrote back to define "orthodox, practicing and believing Roman Catholic." Armed with two academic degrees in theology, RJ is surveying people "somehow involved in the public square," hoping to convey that "there are all these serious Catholics out there in all walks of life!" I wonder how RJ defines "serious." Sure hope a quirky sense of humor is included.

Since I don't follow the Eastern Rite, I qualify as a Roman Catholic, albeit one who loves stuffed dolma and whose home is filled with icons. Here's RJ's definition of practicing:

basically one who fulfills his or her weekly Mass obligation on Sundays and who receives the Blessed Sacrament at least once a year. Beyond that, one who tries his or her best to live out the commands and teachings of God as revealed by Christ in the Spirit, entrusted to the Church. And of course this takes into account the "we are all sinners" caveat.

Yay! Looks like I'm a practicing Roman Catholic and not just because of the "we are all sinners" caveat. So maybe I don't always fulfill my weekly Mass obligation on Sundays. Maybe now that I've been practicing for a while, the Vigil Mass on Saturday counts? How about attending Mass during the week? I think that boosts my grade by a +.

Of course I receive the Blessed Sacrament at least once a year. The Eucharist is "the source and summit of Christian life." Look! I can quote from Lumen gentium!! I also receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation more often than once a decade. I do my best to live my faith, trusting that God will always provide another growth opportunity.

Yes, I'd say I'm a "practicing" Roman Catholic. I also have evidence to prove I'm a "real" Roman Catholic. I'll have more to say about that in another post.