For years I have spoken with many Catholics who tell me they are "spiritual, but not religious." When I ask for specifics on what they mean, I get answers implying that adhering to religion means to "follow the rules."

While I have never regarded my faith as commandments to follow --- I follow the person of the Lord Jesus Christ --- explaining my spirituality can be a tongue-twister, one that invites the question, "Does that mean you're religious or spiritual?"

With that acknowledgment, I can honestly say I saw a new offering on the subject from Orbis Books to be good news. My colleague Michael Leach is editing a series of new books called, "Catholic Spirituality for Adults." These are being written by some of the best Catholic authors today, he said. These writers have been asked to explore the spiritual dimensions of their own faith, sharing what they are learning to see along their journey.

"The series is all about seeing ... the good of God that is in front of our eyes, within us and all around us," Leach said.

The first book of the series is "Reconciliation" by Father Robert Morneau. He says simply, honestly, "Spirituality is about relationship. God has entered into a covenant with us and invites us into a life of friendship." Meditating on this, we know honestly that friendship is a two-way street. When we're on that street in partnership with God, we become his agents, working with him to restore grace in this world; then we can say we are both spiritual and religious.

Servants of Mary Sister Joyce Rupp is another of the authors in this series who writes on prayer. Part of her ministry is to give "spiritual direction" to faith seekers. She tells of a woman who considered "spiritual transformation" far beyond her reach. "I encouraged her to review the choices she made each day and to note how they were changing her into a Christlike person," she wrote. "In doing so, she would see her journey of transformation. With this guidance, she then recognized the growth in her life as a dedicated minister, a faithful spouse, a loving mother, a daily meditator and a person strongly committed to global justice issues. She was truly being changed into love, day by day."

What better definition for "spirituality" than that? It underscores the meaning of spirituality as expressed by Leach. Each book of his new series, he said, "reflects Christ's active and loving presence in the world," and that the works are a "celebration of our membership in the mystical body of Christ, helping us to understand our spiritual unity with the entire family of God, and encouraging us to express Christ's mission of love, peace and reconciliation in our daily lives."

To be a part of this celebration means we must understand that we have a relationship with all the people of this world and a responsibility to the world itself.

Another contributor to the series, Father Richard McBrien, pointed out, "Spiritual practices can never be at odds with the genuine welfare of the planet and of each person who inhabits it."

To get to this point of caring requires "a fundamental change of consciousness --- how we see our fellow human beings," wrote Father Albert Nolan in his book "Jesus Today." He begins a chapter titled, "One With Other Human Beings," with this opening sentence: "Loving God and loving one's neighbor are obviously central to Jesus' spirituality."

If we need an underscored definition of what it means to be spiritual, here it is!

Antoinette Bosco is an author and columnist with Catholic News Service.