Interpretation of Tounges

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ricknaysa

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Can anyone tell me more about (NOT the gift of speaking in tounges) but the interpretation of tounges?

I know many people who have the gift of speaking in tounges, but what good is that if it is not shared for the common good which the Catechism of the Catholic Church says that is what the fruits of the Holy Spirit are good for?
 
ricknaysa said:
Can anyone tell me more about (NOT the gift of speaking in tounges) but the interpretation of tounges?

I know many people who have the gift of speaking in tounges, but what good is that if it is not shared for the common good which the Catechism of the Catholic Church says that is what the fruits of the Holy Spirit are good for?
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Without interpretation, at best it would good for self edification and prayer. See Romans 8: 26, “In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.” However, like all good gifts, it can also be abused, and sometimes is.

But take it from this Protestant who values the charismatic gifts, your Catechism is right on this one. Having an interpreter of tonges present allows others to receive a word of prophecy or other message that God might have imparted through the one speaking in tongues.
 
ricknaysa said:
Can anyone tell me more about (NOT the gift of speaking in tounges) but the interpretation of tounges?

I know many people who have the gift of speaking in tounges, but what good is that if it is not shared for the common good which the Catechism of the Catholic Church says that is what the fruits of the Holy Spirit are good for?
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Many people THINK they are gifted with tongues, or interpretation thereof, when what they really have been gifted with is a very active imagination.

The REAL gift of tongues is the ability to speak LANGUAGES (not gibberish) without any education in them… another example would be if I were to speak before a group of people from 8 different nations (all of whom didn’t share a common language) and yet every one in the audience understood me.

The REAL gift of interpretation would be if, when they spoke to me, I could understand what they were saying though I did not know the language.

I knew a charismalunatic one time who asserted that people were gifted in speaking in tongues because they had so much spirit in them that when they prayed their minds couldn’t handle it and it came out muddled… thus the need for interpretation of tongues… my response: “So let me get this straight, if you lack enough imagination to make up words to your prayers, you can just make noises, then someone else who has a good enough imagination to make up their own prayers AND other peoples’ get to decide what you were ‘saying’?”
 
ricknaysa said:
Can anyone tell me more about (NOT the gift of speaking in tounges) but the interpretation of tounges?

I know many people who have the gift of speaking in tounges, but what good is that if it is not shared for the common good which the Catechism of the Catholic Church says that is what the fruits of the Holy Spirit are good for?
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When tongues is used in the sense of prayer of praise, no interpretation is necessary because it is a private prayer from the individual, to God, through the Holy Spirit, although may be said in public. When someone speaking in tongues is speaking a word of knowledge, he should always, and commonly in charismatic prayer meetings is, accompanied by a companion who can interpret. This is generally in the context of discernment, for instance of a direction or action for the prayer group, or in the context of a healing service or prayer over someone, where the message may relate to what is troubling the person being prayed for.
 
promethius95945 said:
Many people THINK they are gifted with tongues, or interpretation thereof, when what they really have been gifted with is a very active imagination.

The REAL gift of tongues is the ability to speak LANGUAGES (not gibberish) without any education in them… another example would be if I were to speak before a group of people from 8 different nations (all of whom didn’t share a common language) and yet every one in the audience understood me.

The REAL gift of interpretation would be if, when they spoke to me, I could understand what they were saying though I did not know the language.

I knew a charismalunatic one time who asserted that people were gifted in speaking in tongues because they had so much spirit in them that when they prayed their minds couldn’t handle it and it came out muddled… thus the need for interpretation of tongues… my response: “So let me get this straight, if you lack enough imagination to make up words to your prayers, you can just make noises, then someone else who has a good enough imagination to make up their own prayers AND other peoples’ get to decide what you were ‘saying’?”
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I totally agree with you.
In my view those making gibberish noises are simply fakes.
 
They’re not necessarily fakes.

Glossolalia is often a form of excitement and enthusiasm, like feeling your heart speed up when you’re watching an exciting game, or fainting from excitement. It’s a bit less common form, so a bit more impressive. Same thing with “being slain in the Spirit”, or going off into a trance.

It’s not necessarily a sign of holiness; it’s not necessarily anything bad; it’s not necessarily something neutral. It’s a body and brain reaction; sometimes it just happens. And sometimes people set it off themselves, because they think it should happen and everybody else is doing it.

What’s more important is whether God changes your heart, and you decide to cooperate. That’s the real test of any form of worship.
 
ricknaysa said:
Can anyone tell me more about (NOT the gift of speaking in tounges) but the interpretation of tounges?

I know many people who have the gift of speaking in tounges, but what good is that if it is not shared for the common good which the Catechism of the Catholic Church says that is what the fruits of the Holy Spirit are good for?
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This has been a really thought provoking question for me and apparently nobody visiting the forum including myself can give you the answer that you are looking for.

I myself was gifted with the gift of tongues on a couple of occassions. I have never known anyone who has claimed the gift of interpreting.

I have also understood that any gift given by the Spirit was for the purpose of building up the church. But when I received this gift, I always prayed quietly to myself (once at home, once at church). Nobody could have interpreted because I doubt if anybody but me even knew I was praying that way. So how did that build up the church?

The only thought I have is that after my personal experience of praying in tongues, my heart was set on fire for God and for the Catholic Church. I now have an unquenchable desire to learn all I can about what the church teaches and I teach all my friends in an effort to help them understand their faith better. Plus I’ve been able to help someone convert from Lutheran to Catholic. So maybe, the gift I experienced did in some way help build up the Church, just maybe not in the way we would have expected it?

I know this probably isn’t the answer you were expecting. I’ve been watching the posts also hoping to hear from someone who has actually interpreted tongues before. I’ve never heard the experience described, but would like to hear about it also.
 
water said:
Can you explain further on “active imagination”?
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Active Imagination: the ability to make up gibberish noises from one’s own self and then tell others it’s a charismatic gift OR the ability to make up words to supposed “prayers” that are gibberishly emitted by the first type.
Cavaille-Coll said:
Let’s not get insulting here. Pope John Paul II considered himself a charismatic.
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No insult at all. There’s a strong difference between a charismatic like John Paul II and a charismalunatic such as this person, who believes she has excorcised people simply by touching them.
 
promethius95945 said:
Active Imagination: the ability to make up gibberish noises from one’s own self and then tell others it’s a charismatic gift OR the ability to make up words to supposed “prayers” that are gibberishly emitted by the first type.
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Thanks promoethius for explaining. To me, I can’t tell who makes it up or not, but it did happen to me with “Tongue” praying without me controlling it. Yes, it was a bit confusion at first. Though, this hasn’t happened to me in the last 10 months. When it happened to me 10 months ago, I couldn’t tell what came next from my mouth. Whatever had happened to me, it was my turning point of my life.
 
thistle said:
I totally agree with you.
In my view those making gibberish noises are simply fakes.
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Have you ever heard a large group praying in tongues? Try to imagine what it would sound like. Every person I’ve heard pray in tongues sounds different. I would have thought it would be a cacophony. Until I heard it (more than once). It sounds heavenly, a shimmering, blended chorus. It was unlike any sound I’ve ever heard.

You have your opinion, of course but I resent that you called my friends fakes. I would imagine many are more genuine and humble than you.
 
Bruised_Reed said:
You have your opinion, of course but I resent that you called my friends fakes. I would imagine many are more genuine and humble than you.
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Yes, people have a variety of opinions. I imagine there are some who want to experience this unique gift so desperately that without even realizing it they “manufacture” it. But that does not negate the reality that it is one of the gifts for the Holy Spirit for the Church, So, as long as we are still the Church, we should expect these gifts to be present in the Church today. Thus I imagine that there are also many who genuinenly practice the gift of speaking in tongues.

As for interpreting, the same would hold true. My one time to experience this was while praying with a small group of Christians in college. There were a few in the group who would occassionally pray in tongues, not all and not always. On this one occassion it was just a handful of us gathering in a small chapel. And as we prayed, one of the women, Joan DeMuth began to pray in tongues. I thought nothing of it, till suddenly in the midst of her prayer it seemed as if I understood exactly what she was saying. I was rather taken aback by the experience, and just turned to Joan and told here that I had understood what she was saying. I didn’t even think at first to tell them what it was until they all started shouting at me. And so I told them. Funny thing, today (30 years later) I remember the shock of the moment, but not the message itself. It wasn’t anything that I would have considered profound. Didn’t even have anything to do with me personally, but some sort of word of comfort for one of the other girls praying with us. It was at the end of the semester and that group was never together again after that, and I have never had a repeat of that experience either.

As a side note, while it certainly doesn’t build up the church to go around calling people fakes that we don’t know anything about personally. I am also of the opinion that it doesn’t build up the church to make comparisons as to who is or isn’t more genuine or humble.
 
This is like an on-going argument. Why don’t we pray that whatever we do, we are guided by the Holy Spirit and that we do it for the love of God.

For those who have the gift of tongues, bless them and pray for them to use whichever the gifts they have to build for the kingdom of God, but not for their own glory.

For those who have other gifts, do the same and do not judge others if you don’t know for sure and do not know the hearts of the others.

Whatever the gift is all about, if you think people pretend, then go for it…wait until it comes to you, and you can tell yourself if ALL others are pretending - don’t guess.

God bless.
 
water said:
This is like an on-going argument. Why don’t we pray that whatever we do, we are guided by the Holy Spirit and that we do it for the love of God.

For those who have the gift of tongues, bless them and pray for them to use whichever the gifts they have to build for the kingdom of God, but not for their own glory.

For those who have other gifts, do the same and do not judge others if you don’t know for sure and do not know the hearts of the others.

Whatever the gift is all about, if you think people pretend, then go for it…wait until it comes to you, and you can tell yourself if ALL others are pretending - don’t guess.

God bless.
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Words of wisdom and grace that we can all live by. Thank-you.
 
Grace_Seeker said:
Words of wisdom and grace that we can all live by. Thank-you.
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Thanks Grace Seeker. I mentioned previous post about using the gift to build Kingdom of God. I can’t emphasize enough on this as I see some of the people I know have taken the wrong way. I’ve been invited to this group to help them know what had gone wrong with their group, and I am kinda of worry not knowing what to say to make them understand. I pray about it.

Am I confusing you? :o

If you read my post in Non-Catholic forum, you would know my great concerns.
 
Bruised_Reed said:
Have you ever heard a large group praying in tongues? Try to imagine what it would sound like. Every person I’ve heard pray in tongues sounds different. I would have thought it would be a cacophony. Until I heard it (more than once). It sounds heavenly, a shimmering, blended chorus. It was unlike any sound I’ve ever heard.

You have your opinion, of course but I resent that you called my friends fakes. ** I would imagine many are more genuine and humble than you**.
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You can imagine whatever you want. Your comment does not ooze with humility!!!
 
In short, all things will pass away love alone will last for ever. Brothers sisters let us shurely seek the gift of love. the gifts you speak about are built in and for God’s love to be known, not to be fort over.
Love one another for this is the way those of the world will know that we love God. Peace to you all.

God bless
littleone
 
littleone said:
In short, all things will pass away love alone will last for ever. Brothers sisters let us shurely seek the gift of love. the gifts you speak about are built in and for God’s love to be known, not to be fort over.
Love one another for this is the way those of the world will know that we love God. Peace to you all.

God bless
littleone
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Agreed.
 
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