In 25 years of ministry using the charism of the Gift of Tongues, we consistently are judged “weird” by fellow Catholics. This gift is referenced about 35 times in the New Testament. Truth of the Spirit explores “Speaking in Tongues—the Weird Charism” and we hope that someday all will pray in angelic tongues, not just in heaven but as they prepare to share the Good News. For script, audio player and video link please continue reading.
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In the New Testament Gospel of Mark Chapter 16, Jesus tells his disciples that they will speak in new languages. That could mean they will be traveling to the ends of the earth proclaiming the Gospel and so they will need to learn the various languages of the people in the East, West, North and South. However, when the Apostle Paul spoke to the Corinthians about their jealousy when some of their brethren had the Gift of Tongues, he obviously wasn’t talking about using the Rosetta Stone language course to learn how to speak in foreign places. The language the Corinthians esteemed was an “angelic language” spoken to and understood by God! Paul went into great detail in 1 Corinthians Chapter 14 explaining that other Gifts of the Spirit were also amazing tools to use, and since the people around them could understand healing and the words of prophecy, they were ideal in building up the kingdom of God. He also stressed the fact that all the gifts work together and no matter which part of the body of Christ uses them the whole-body benefits. He also threw in the fact that he spoke in Tongues more than any of them[i].
Welcome to Truth of the Spirit and “Speaking in “Tongues—the Weird Charism”. I’m your host, Patti Brunner. The Gift of Tongues is referenced about 35 times in the New Testament. We are introduced to the outpouring of the Gift of Tongues in the first chapters of the Acts of the Apostles. To operate in this charism, you surrender your own choice of words and allow the Holy Spirit to choose the words that sound forth.
During the first Pentecost, the birthday of the Church and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, the apostles began to praise God in an ecstatic tongue that made the bystanders wonder if the newly Spirit-filled apostles were drunk! With tremendous joy, the apostles reminded them that it was too early in the morning to be drunk. Then the foreign strangers in the crowd started to realize that these Galilean fishermen were speaking in their own native tongues. It became the “Tower of Babel” in reverse! In the Acts of the Apostles, we learn one of the benefits of the Gift of Tongues can be that of receiving a dialect unknown to ourselves that is known by our listeners.
In 25 years of ministry using the charism of the Gift of Tongues, we consistently have been judged “weird” by fellow Catholics. We are not accused of being drunk, just judged strange. This didn’t happen only with fellow Catholics. I remember being around some of my husband’s family who were members of a Pentecostal church in St. Louis. Their services focused time specifically on praying and praising in tongues. So it wasn’t the sound of tongues that made us strange; his relatives couldn’t believe that we could have the Gift of Tongues AND be Catholics. They assumed we would leave the Catholic Church if we had the Gift of Tongues. We didn’t explain that the Catholic Church was the origin of Gifts of the Spirit and the Gift of Tongues.
The early Church used the outpouring of the Gift of Tongues as a sure sign that the non-Jews were indeed welcome to become Christians because they had received the Holy Spirit. Angels and visions to both Peter and the Roman Centurion Cornelius set up a visit of Peter to the house of the Gentile Cornelius. Acts of the Apostles, Chapter 10 reports, “44 While Peter was still speaking, the Holy Spirit fell upon all who heard the word. 45The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astounded that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles, 46for they heard them speaking in tongues and extolling God. Then Peter said, 47‘Can anyone withhold the water for baptizing these people who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?’ 48So he ordered them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they invited him to stay for several days.”
It’s probably a good thing that speaking in Tongues is not a requirement for our RCIA candidates to be allowed to be baptized during the Easter vigil. Our parish had 42 baptisms this year and I did not hear a single one break out in Tongues during their Baptism or Confirmation. I still keep waiting for it to happen each year! Maybe next year!
One of my mentors, Dr. Dennis Holt, told the story of explaining the Gift of Tongues to his brother, who was also a doctor. The problem his brother had, foremost, was not understanding what was being said when you pray in Tongues! Unless you have the Gift of Interpretation of Tongues, you do not know what you are praying! Why would the Lord give us a gift that requires total surrender and total trust on our part? Why would the Lord give us an opportunity to pray a perfect prayer that involves no chance of judgment or hesitation on our part? Why would the Lord give us a language that cannot be understood by demons or enemies? Perhaps the answers are in these questions themselves!
St. Paul explains that the Gift of Tongues edifies us. That means it provides specific benefits to us. Let’s answer the question: “How am I changed as I use my prayer language?” This gift can overcome fear, pride, doubt and lack of faith. St. Paul wrote in Ephesians Chapter 6 verse 18 to “pray in the Spirit always” as spiritual protection. When you pray in tongues you are definitely praying in the Spirit. Since your mind is not choosing your words, you could easily perform other tasks such as driving a car or paying bills while you are praying in the Spirit. St. Paul does recommend that we also pray with our mind while we pray in Tongues. In any stressful situation praying in Tongues is a quick remedy to fear. You immediately know that the Presence of God is with you and so you have nothing to fear.
Even though St. Paul addressed issues of pride in connection with the Gift of Tongues, it can actually overcome pride. To pray in tongues we must humble ourselves to surrender to the Holy Spirit. We use freewill to give up our own words to speak the Lord’s words. We set our own desires aside to pray God’s will not our will. It is probably helpful that we don’t know what we are praying. We may be praying for our worst enemy. We might be asking the Lord to send us into harm’s way for the glory of God. Quite often, we are just offering praise to God. How often do we remember to praise God?
Using the Gift of Tongues can overcome doubt. Sometimes in the Gift of Prophecy, Word of Knowledge and Word of Wisdom we are not sure if we actually hear from the Lord. We might talk ourselves out of Healing and Discernment of Spirits. But when we open our mouths and the words of the Holy Spirit tumble out in the form of Tongues there is very little doubt with the Gift of Tongues. Instead of worrying about the “proper” prayer or words to say, we know that the words that the Lord chooses are perfect for each situation. We can immediately pray God’s perfect will for a situation. When this gift manifests we are assured we have received God’s gift of grace. This gift is so unusual—so weird perhaps–that it clearly is a charism, “a special gift of grace”. Using the Gift of Tongues causes us to step out in faith. It takes a leap of faith to believe that God is willing to give this gift to us if we ask for it. St. Paul does remind us that to edify the person who hears our prayers that we need to listen for other gifts, too. Often God also gives Words of Knowledge and Wisdom to edify the person for whom we pray. The Gift of Tongues is known as a gateway gift and helps us to be open to other gifts.
Why else would anyone choose this weird gift? Using the Gift of Tongues as a prayer language establishes truth, focus on the Lord’s will, connection with the Holy Spirit and surrender of self. We know that we are praying truth as we pray in Tongues since we are praying a heavenly language rather than our own. We also confirm the truth of the 35 scriptures that mention this gift. Scripture often refers to praying in “a tongue”, “other tongues”, “angelic tongues”, or “in the Spirit”.
Using Tongues, known as a Prayer Language, establishes focus on the Lord’s will. We cannot be discussing anything but the Lord’s will when we pray in Tongues.
Perfect prayer is offered that might be offensive to our limited understanding. Using Prayer Language establishes connection with the Holy Spirit. All prayer is communication to the Lord. In using our Prayer Language, the Holy Spirit joins intimately with us providing the words as we give the sound. Using Prayer Language establishes surrender of self; as often as we pray in the Spirit we surrender our freewill to the Lord.
The Gift of Tongues also provides benefits of healing, instruction, and praise. It heals on a spiritual level. Direct contact with the Holy Spirit heals layers of our hearts. It instructs the heart. As we pray in Tongues, the Gift of Understanding is magnified and other charisms develop. It provides perfect praise. We praise God using the words the Holy Spirit supplies. We sing melodies provided by the Holy Spirit. If you have ever heard a room full of people singing in Tongues you will understand what I am saying. The Lord gives harmonies that blend and magnify His glory. I imagine we are joining with unseen choirs of angels in glorifying God with our freewill and the surrendered use of our voices. Who knows how the change in atmosphere changes the world itself!
Now that I have explained to you the benefits of this weird charism, listen to Luke’s Acts of the Apostles Chapter 2: “2When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. 2And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. 3Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. 4All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability. 5 Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem. 6And at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each. 7Amazed and astonished, they asked, ‘Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? 8And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language? 9Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, 11Cretans and Arabs—in our own languages we hear them speaking about God’s deeds of power.’ 12All were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, ‘What does this mean?’ 13But others sneered and said, ‘They are filled with new wine.’ 14 But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed them: ‘Men of Judea and all who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen to what I say. 15Indeed, these are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only nine o’clock in the morning. 16No, this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel: 17 “In the last days it will be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams. 18 Even upon my slaves, both men and women, in those days I will pour out my Spirit; and they shall prophesy.”
Often we provide Life in the Spirit seminars to help fellow Christians to embrace the presence of the Holy Spirit. Truth of the Spirit has episodes on Life in the Spirit. Generally they share the truth of God by teaching “Who is the Holy Spirit?”, “Conversion of Heart”, and “Baptism of the Holy Spirit”. Witnesses share their personal testimonies to corroborate what the Holy Spirit has done for them. They confirm that what the Lord has done for them He will do for you. Often, at the end of the series, participants are invited to receive the Gift of Tongues andencouraged to pray in Tongues often.
To receive this gift, two things are required: surrender to the Holy Spirit, and making a sound with your voice. Usually, I suggest repeating the word “alleluia” until it seems to get mumbled and our tongue a little garbled. That’s a sure sign that the Lord is ready to place His words in your mouth.
Pray with me: Lord, we surrender! We surrender our disbelief, our need for explanation and our past rejection of the Lord’s gifts. We surrender our fear of embarrassment if we fail and our fear of commitment if we succeed. We surrender our control of our tongue. We apologize for the times we used our tongue to be critical, unkind, or arrogant.
We surrender pride—the pride that we are chosen, the pride of control, the pride of our intellect. We humble our voice to sound childlike as we babble in the Spirit. We take on the cloak of humility as we realize we are but a “water hose” that contains your living water, your grace, your power.
You love the greatest sinner as much as you love us and are able to use us to demonstrate your power because your love has overcome sin within us.
Lord, we accept your fullness that you placed within us at Baptism. The potential is always there for the manifestation of that grace. Thank you, Lord, that by calling me to You, today, You shall unleash that potential and use me to change the world in ways big and small.
We ask especially that you release from our lips, the perfect prayer and praise, by manifesting the Gift of Tongues. Amen.
I ask you now to pray in tongues with me. Start with the word “alleluia”. Alleluia, Alleluia…[prayer in Tongues]…Praise you Lord, praise you Lord, thank you, Lord Jesus.
We thank you, Lord, for sealing in your gifts into our heart, minds and bodies. Protect us by keeping our pride, fear, and lack of piety from interfering with the work of the Lord. Amen.
The Gift of Tongues can be received again, and again, and again. And you can stop praying in Tongues any time you choose. So just remember, surrender and use your voice.
If you would like to read the blog of this episode, you can find it on our website: PatriarchMinistries.com /209. You’ve been listening to Truth of the Spirit, I’m Patti Brunner. We invite you to subscribe—it’s free — and come back for more. With the Holy Spirit there is always more! Amen.
[i] 1 Corinthians 14:18”I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you;”
