Question on speaking in tongues

[Catholic4aReasn]

Annunciata:

Hi Nanc,
All of the above applies to me…well said! The only thing different for me was that it scared me to death and I didn’t want anything to do with it.

Not different at all! That’s EXACTLY how I felt!!!

In Christ,
Nancy

 

[robertaf]

jeffreedy789:

hey guys - esp byzcath - here’s a selection from 1 Cor 14 -

2 For one who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God; for no one understands, but in his spirit he speaks mysteries.
3 But one who prophesies speaks to men for edification and exhortation and consolation.
4 One who speaks in a tongue edifies himself; but one who prophesies edifies the church.

i think we see, when we compare this verse with the ones about tongues from acts, that there are two different, but related phenomena going on here.

the first is the supernatural ability to speak in languages you don’t know in order to spread a message. it happened at pentecost, and it can (and perhaps does) happen today, as well.

the second is a prayer language, in which the person speaking seems to manifest the ‘groans of the Spirit’ which we don’t understand. these sound MAY be another language (i’ve heard of tongues being interpreted, not by someone with a gift of interpretation, but simply someone who spoke the language being spoken in tongues) that people today speak, it may be an archaic language, or it may be a language that we don’t know. but from the passage here in 1 Cor, i think we see the validity of ‘praying in tongues’ for personal edification.

i’ve personally never spoken in tongues, or prayed in them. i think it would be interesting to do so, but God chooses when to bestow His gifts.

Very good jeffreedy.

There are these two different tongues.
I think the prayer language is very common. It seems to be one of the first gifts Charismatics receive. Notice I say the first Charismatics receive. That is not to say that Catholics have not received gifts at Confirmation, of course they have. I am talking about following prayer in a Charismatic atmosphere.

This is interesting the way the Holy Spirit works.

The Charismatic Renewal is deeply into Praise and Worship. I have found that there are not sufficient words for us humans to use to tell God how great He is or to describe our love for Him. When I ran out of words, the Holy Spirit took over. “GOD IS PRESENT IN THE PRAISE OF HIS PEOPLE”. Once I received my prayer language, my Praise and Worship deepened.

I might add, that these tongues can begin spontaneously, with many people present and can sound much like angelic choirs. If you have ever experienced this, it is AWESOME! Prayer language can be prayed silently, in a whisper, out loud or in music. What an awesome gift for personal and community edification.

Prophesy in tongues is much rarer, in my experience. It also has the rules mentioned in Acts. It requires an interpreter and is limited to how many should speak. It is very much in order.

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