Speaking in tounges

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shannin

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I belong to a small group that gets together and says the Rosary twice a month. Last week two of the women in this group prayed over me for a special intention of mine. They prayed in tounges, both at the same time.

I just read another post in here that said two people are not supposed to speak simutaneously in tounges.

How can I tell if this is from God?
 
If they violate the scriptures. They are supposed to speak one at a time, and if you do not have the gift of tongues, they are supposed to have an interpreter or keep their mumbling to themselves so as not to confuse you, which it sounds like they did.
 
Good Morning Church

With kindest respect, that answer is wrong.
You were just told about one type of tongues. However, there is more than one type and it is very scriptural.
They type you experienced was PRAYING in tongues. This is often done in Praise and Worship when there are no english words to express our love and praise for God. It is also used when we don’t know how to pray, for instance, in your circumstance. This prayer allows the Holy Spirit to enter into our prayers in a different way using a language we do not understand.
There is much misunderstanding of the Charismatic Renewal and the gifts of the Holy Spirit in discussion groups so I urge you to take much of the negative remarks in the spirit they were given. Search out the truth for yourself. Be confident that this is a Renewal in the Church blessed and encouraged by the Holy Father.

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So, are you saying that I should NOT be concerned when 2 women pray over me, speaking in tounges simultaneously?

These women are both very devout Catholic women but after reading some of the other posts in here, I became a little concerned.

Blessings,
Shannin
 
As stated in the previous post, “praying in tongues”, as opposed to “speaking in tongues”, is a gift which allows multiple people to pray directly the thought of their souls without needing to filter it into a language. So of course it sounds like jibberish, and no, as long as you are comfortable with it, it is fine. And fully endorsed by the Catholic church.

Josh
 
%between% Greetings

Think about it. How many times have you asked a Catholic to pray for you for a special intention or even an illness and that person stops what they are talking about or doing, takes you aside for privacy and prays right then and there. This, all too often goes for clergy as well. Most often, they will tell you they will “put you” or “remember you” in prayer. That leaves a big chance to memory, no matter how well intentioned.

Catholics, other than Charismatics have a hard time praying for someone else, spontaneously.

You should say a special prayer of thanks for these folks who prayed with you so lovingly.

It is very good.
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threej_lc:
As stated in the previous post, “praying in tongues”, as opposed to “speaking in tongues”, is a gift which allows multiple people to pray directly the thought of their souls without needing to filter it into a language. So of course it sounds like jibberish, and no, as long as you are comfortable with it, it is fine. And fully endorsed by the Catholic church.

Josh
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I’d like to underline the importance of the distinction.

Our parish has an active Charismatic prayer group. I joined it following a “Life in the Spirit” seminar, and if anyone is curious about the Charismatic movement, the booklet for that seminar (it’s not hard to come by) is a good resource. Our prayer group prays in tongues, and more frequently, praises, sings, in tongues, during our weekly gatherings, and does so as a group. Often, people speak out with messages that they perceive are meant for the group during its prayer and praise, or read passages from Holy Scripture they perceive are directed to the group’s attention. This never happens in tongues in our group – I’m not saying it couldn’t, but as common as praying in tongues may be with us, prophesying in tongues has not occurred.

In the Charismatic movement, the gift of tongues is ranked as the least of the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Why? The primary purpose of the Gifts of the Spirit are for the building up of the community. The gift of tongues, particularly praying in tongues, is focused on the individual, giving him or her another “language” in which to worship and praise. Prophesying in tongues is best thought of as a manifestation of the gift of prophesy – a gift meant for the community – rather than of the gift of tongues. That is in keeping with the passage in Holy Scripture that states when such prophesy in tongues occurs, there WILL be someone there to interpret it.

The gift of tongues, in respect to praying in tongues, is very hard to elaborate on. When it happens, it happens, and no explanation is needed. Speaking personally, it’s not something I can turn on and off; as I said, when it happens, it happens. I had always wondered about it, but never really worried about it much. Now I know that I was right not to worry. Romans 8:26 comes to mind: “Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with sighs too deep for words.” I can tell you that when it happens, I know I have prayed, and I am grateful for having been given the “unwords” to do so.

By the way, this gift is not something special for a “select” group of Christians. It’s available for the asking.

Blessings,

Gerry Hunter
 
St. Paul said, “If any speak in a tongue, let there be only two or at most three, and each in turn; and let one interpret. But if there is no one to interpret, let each of them keep silence in church and speak to himself and to God.” (1 Cor 14:27-28)

The context of this passage seems to refer to people who are moved by the Spirit to address the whole church at a public worship service in a foreign tongue. Your situation, with the two women praying for you, seems quite different so I don’t think it really applies to what happened to you, especially since the intent of the women was to address God in prayer and not to address a particular message to you per se.
 
You have nothing to fear from the prayers of the two women who prayed for you. Praying in tongues , which is what you experienced, is very different from speaking or prophesying in tongues, which would indeed require interpretation to be useful to the body. They were just lifting you and your needs up to God in the language of the Holy Spirit, as He moved them at that time.

I hope that whatever your needs were, they have been met. 🙂
 
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robertaf:
Good Morning Church

With kindest respect, that answer is wrong.
You were just told about one type of tongues. However, there is more than one type and it is very scriptural.
They type you experienced was PRAYING in tongues. This is often done in Praise and Worship when there are no english words to express our love and praise for God. It is also used when we don’t know how to pray, for instance, in your circumstance. This prayer allows the Holy Spirit to enter into our prayers in a different way using a language we do not understand.
There is much misunderstanding of the Charismatic Renewal and the gifts of the Holy Spirit in discussion groups so I urge you to take much of the negative remarks in the spirit they were given. Search out the truth for yourself. Be confident that this is a Renewal in the Church blessed and encouraged by the Holy Father.

smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/17/17_1_14.gif
Click to expand...
Praise God for Godly wisdom. 👍
 
Thank you so very much, all of you. I am amazed at your knowledge. I’m so glad that I found this site.

Many Many Blessings to all of you,

Shannin
 
Shannin,

After reading some of the same posts as you in other threads I think it may well be miraculous that your post has been up for two days without anyone trying to frighten you away from tongues.

A couple quick points I’d like to add to the good posts by others.

"How can I tell if this is from God?"

Some basic thoughts on discernment.
  • Do you know and trust the women praying over you? Do they exhibit not just “gifts” of the Spirit but “fruits”? I would not recommend allowing anyone whose spirituality you don’t know and trust to pray over you. Don’t be afraid to decline prayer from anyone you don’t trust.
  • Anytime someone prays over you say a simple silent prayer to the effect of:" I cover myself in the blood of Jesus and receive in this prayer only what is truly from God. Trust in the power of your own prayers and the Blood of Jesus and then receive what is from Him.
  • Does the prayer (or prophecy) bring peace? We must be careful not to judge on emotions but any work of the Spirit will bring peace to one who welcomes Him. He said, “My sheep know my voice” Spend more time in prayer and you will learn to recognize His voice no matter whose mouth He uses.
One last note on those who quote this or that scripture to disprove modern tongues. This is what is commonly called a “proof text” and is Protestant. Don’t rely on anyones personal interpretation. If you read what the Church has said and done in regards to the Charismatic Gifts and Movement I think you will be assured. Trust in the wisdom of Mother Church.
 
Good Morning Church
Watching Post,

What great advise! I really like everything you wrote.

I hope I remember just half of it.
 
i am not in the charismatic renewal, and am actually a bit of a sceptic about some of these things (sorry), and am fairly ignorant of the renewal in general (sorry again). but I am also willing to learn. and not that i want to take away from the discussion of tongues, but i also want to ask about another “gift”, being slain in the spirit, or the falling phenomenon (i’ve heard different names for it). is this one of the charisms? what is it all about? how does it happen?

recently i was one of the singers at a “healing service” where seven priests (one actually a bishop) were giving the sacrament of annointing to whomever desired it (everyone went to each of the priests to be prayed over). one of the organizers of the event said that the previous year many had fallen, but this year, because it was a sacramental annointing, they weren’t expecting many to fall. To me, a sacramental annointing would be the place where many would be expected to fall, if they were going to fall at all. Am I wrong? (and, no one fell! i guess i am wrong)

please help me to understand!
 
Greetings Church

I will try to address the topic of being “being slain in the Spirit” or as some call it, “Resting in the Spirit”.

I do not know for sure if I would all it one of the Gifts, I don’t really think so. It tends to be one of the ways people react to the Power of the Holy Spirit.

It is also a little confusing to me and I have been in the Renewal a very long time.
I suspect there are all sorts of degrees where this is concerned.
I was once praying for a young Priest. He was not in the Charismatic renewal at the time. He happens to be a very famous speaker now but this was his first time at a Charismatic Conference. He had asked prayer for something. I was behind him and the minute I touched him I could feel tremendous “power” or “energy” almost like electricity. This guy was tall, over 6’ and he just started down backwards. We were outside on cement and I was very startled. I moved to the side and Father landed like a floating feather. I have never seen anything like it. He received the gift of tongues while he was down.
We had a prayer group in Southern CA that had about 5 very old ladies. They loved being “slain in the Spirit” and always was in line to be prayed for and always went down. Don’t ask, I don’t know if it was genuine or not.
I have been “Slain”, myself many times. Sometimes I feel it coming and other times I don’t. I am always very relaxed and at peace when I arise.
I was in a Charismatic Parish once where Father had the Sacrament for the Sick monthly. Many folks fell when annointed. I would expect it,too. However, we believe the Holy Spirit is gentle and does not usually do this outside of a Charismatic group as it could frighten folks.
I have seen Priests who are not involved with the Renewal pray over folks and they fall. I sincerely believe every Priest is Charismatic whether they are in the Renewal or not. The have special Pastoral gifts and do have the gift of miracles. They are operating in these gifts on a daily basis and should never be shocked when we see physical manifestations of the Holy Spirit.
I once saw a man levitate about 3 feet off the ground when he was receiving the Sacrament of Confirmation. The Bishop did his darndest not to look absolutely shocked but he turned one very light pale. I saw him later and he was still shaking.

I hope one of our other Charismatics can give better information to your question.
 
Scripture also says that what good is it to speak in tongues if your spirit is praying but your mind contributes nothing? (thats not exact quote but its the jist of it). Basically Iwould be very suspicious of someone who was praying in tongues if they or someone else was not there to interpret. If they dont know that they are saying when they are praying in tongues then it really serves no purpose. Today it seems that everybody and their uncle prayes in tongues but I would be willing to gamble that 99% of them are mislead and maybe 1% of the people who did it were actually by gifts from the Holy Spirit. If you dont know what is being said how do you know its not the devil causing you to curse in foreign languages? or just saying nothing at all when your time babling could be used by praying a rosary or something?

Josh
 
Greetings

I pray you get a chance to read some of the other posts on tongues.
It has been said over and over that there are more than that one scripture on the gift of tongues.
Scripture also speaks of “praying in tongues” a different gift than the one you quote where an interpreter is required.
 
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jkdrum:
Scripture also says that what good is it to speak in tongues if your spirit is praying but your mind contributes nothing? (thats not exact quote but its the jist of it). Basically Iwould be very suspicious of someone who was praying in tongues if they or someone else was not there to interpret. If they dont know that they are saying when they are praying in tongues then it really serves no purpose. Today it seems that everybody and their uncle prayes in tongues but I would be willing to gamble that 99% of them are mislead and maybe 1% of the people who did it were actually by gifts from the Holy Spirit. If you dont know what is being said how do you know its not the devil causing you to curse in foreign languages? or just saying nothing at all when your time babling could be used by praying a rosary or something?

Josh
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Hmmm …

That almost comes out at a charicature, but it is most likely a misunderstanding.

If you are worshiping in tongues,you are aware you are worshiping. Likewise for praising, beseeching, giving thanks, and the other reasons we pray. There is, I would pointedly assert, nothing mindless about it.

I’m at a loss as to know how to respond to the suggestion that those praying could be cursing.

As for praying the rosary, that is precisely what we did at our prayer group several weeks ago. Praying in tongues, when it happens, is a part of, not the totality of, our prayer.

There is no sense in which it is babbling.

Blessings,

Gerry
 
Regarding being “Slain in the spirit.” Our community prefers to call it “Resting in the Spirit”, since “slain” does have rather negative implications to it. My personal experience is that it happens rarely, and usually only when there is concerted prayer going on. In my 21 years as a Catholic, 17 of those as a Charismatic, I have personally experienced this exactly twice: once when I was Confirmed, and once just this past spring when I went forward for prayer at a prayer meeting at Pentecost Sunday.

I can only tell you what I personally experienced. At my Confirmation, I was 21 years old, and was not Charismatic yet. I had been an atheist during college, and before that a cultural protestant, at best. I was confirmed by a priest, not the bishop, with dispensation, and I was the only one confirmed that day. When the priest, a wonderful Jesuit largely responsible for my conversion training, annointed me with the oil, I felt as though he had poured warm oil, buckets of it, across my entire head. My forehead and my inner wrists both burned, but not unpleasantly: more like I had a heating pad placed there. The next thing I knew, I was being helped up from the ground, and I had this immense overwhelming sense of deep peace and joy. I felt content and trusting, safe, happy, even gleeful but not in a giddy or silly way. It was a solemn and glorious feeling and it lasted for weeks after my confirmation.

I was told by my family (who opposed my conversion) and my friends (who supported it) that I had simply drifted slowly backwards to the ground, like I was being lowered on invisible strings. They thought I had fainted, but I hit the ground so gently that I had no pain or bruises. When I questioned them afterwards, they all said the same thing: it was as though I was being lowered to the ground by invisible arms. I stayed on the ground for less than two minutes. The priest knew what had happened but said it was very rare for that to occur, and for me to just “ponder it in my heart” as Mary’s example teaches. It wasn’t until some years later, when I was introduced to the Charismatic renewal, that I understood what had occured.

My more recent experience was somewhat different, in that the prayer ministers had “catchers” available to lower a person to the ground if they began to go down, and I did not experience the warm burning sensation on my head and wrists. I did still have the great joy and peace when I came to, though. Not everyone who was prayed for was resting in the spirit: I’d say roughly one third.

When I was “down” both times, all that I remember thinking was how wonderful God is and how close He really is to me all the time, and how much He loves me.

I recognize that this is purely anecdotal information, but that’s what I have! I hope it has been of some help to you.
 
Gerry Hunter:
Hmmm …

I’m at a loss as to know how to respond to the suggestion that those praying could be cursing.

Gerry
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I dont mean praying could be cursing.
For instance if you praying in tongues and you did not know the words you were speaking then you may be in danger of that.

I am not talking about the case which you making the conscious decision to say “hail mary full of grace” but when you try and say it it comes out “hum didleo do ba da.” or something of the sort.

… I dont believe in the cases where someone just starts babling then has no idea of what they are saying. in that case you could be cursing without your knowledge. The reason why i say that is because the devil can also make signs and wonders and people would think its from God. Also a feeling of peace or joy is not real evidence that it is the holy spirit working. It could just as easily be the devil too.
 
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