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Question Title	Posted By	Question Date
Re. Tongues	Steven	Friday, September 3, 2004
Question: After reading the question from Susie and your discussion of he same, I would like to add a few thoughts from the sermon preached at Pentecost by one of the excellent priests I mentioned recently in another question. The sermon in question centred on the account of Pentecost from Acts 2, and among other things addressed what the gift of tongues is and what it isn't. When the Apostles speak in tongues in Acts 2:5-13, what they are actually doing is finding a way to communicate the message of the Good News to people of all races and nationalities (something which is definitely a charismatic gift as it helps to build up the Church by spreding her message and by expressing her catholicity). The so-called "tongues" often claimed by pentecostals and "charismatics" are not intelligible by others and their public use benefits no-one; such use of "tongues" can only be counter-productive. To add my own reflections, So-called "tongues" could be a direct attempt by the devil, or the person speaking, to obscure the message of God, or an example of the sin of sanctimony by trying to impress others with a bogus spiritual gift, or people simply being silly, and in doing so making a mockery of the sacred. Whilst I accept the possibility of a private prayer language, it should be just that - private; after all, we do not even need to speak in order to pray - I know I often pray by thought or by offering something I do to God. Yours in Christ, Steven. P.s. Thank you for keeping England in your prayers.
Question Answered by Bro. Ignatius Mary, OLSM+ Dear Steven: Very well expressed. I agree. There was one case in which a person at a meeting stood up and spoke in tongues. As it happened there was a priest at the meeting who recognized the language spoken by this woman; it was his native language. He approached the woman and ask if she knew what she had said "in tongues". She did not know. The priest said, "you were speaking my native language and what you said was cursing God. Another priest at a charismatic meeting got up and spoke "in tongues". Another person interpreted. After the woman interpretor finished the priest flashed his finger at her and loudly said, "You are a fraud. That is not what I said. What I said was the Our Father in Polish." I have been wanting to learn the Our Father in Polish to test the validity of "interpretors" because the Polish language, at least to the American ear, sounds a lot like the typical tongues speaking of many charismatics. Bottomline: Everyone and their cat speaks in tongues -- the devil, demons, shamans, witch doctors, occultist, satanist, possessed people (one of the official signs of possession), etc. Tongues is so easy to counterfeit. It can hardly be a productive sign of much of anything as a result. ANYONE speaking in tongues needs to have them tested; and no, thinking that good fruits have come from speaking in tongues, or that great spiritual feelings and insights have come from speaking in tongues IS NOT ENOUGH. The biblical test of the spirit if needed. God Bless, Bro. Ignatius Mary Footer Notes: This forum is for general questions on the faith. See specific Topic Forums below: Spiritual Warfare, demons, the occult go to our Spiritul Warfare Q&S Forum. Liturgy Questions go to our Liturgy and Liturgical Law Q&A Forum Liturgy of the Hours (Divine Office) Questions go to our Divine Office Q&A Forum Defenfing the Faith Questions go to our Defending the Faith Q&A Forum Church History Questions go to our Church History Q&A Forum

Question Title

Posted By

Question Date

Re. Tongues

Steven

Friday, September 3, 2004

Question:

After reading the question from Susie and your discussion of he same, I would like to add a few thoughts from the sermon preached at Pentecost by one of the excellent priests I mentioned recently in another question.

The sermon in question centred on the account of Pentecost from Acts 2, and among other things addressed what the gift of tongues is and what it isn't.

When the Apostles speak in tongues in Acts 2:5-13, what they are actually doing is finding a way to communicate the message of the Good News to people of all races and nationalities (something which is definitely a charismatic gift as it helps to build up the Church by spreding her message and by expressing her catholicity). The so-called "tongues" often claimed by pentecostals and "charismatics" are not intelligible by others and their public use benefits no-one; such use of "tongues" can only be counter-productive.

To add my own reflections, So-called "tongues" could be a direct attempt by the devil, or the person speaking, to obscure the message of God, or an example of the sin of sanctimony by trying to impress others with a bogus spiritual gift, or people simply being silly, and in doing so making a mockery of the sacred.

Whilst I accept the possibility of a private prayer language, it should be just that - private; after all, we do not even need to speak in order to pray - I know I often pray by thought or by offering something I do to God.

Yours in Christ,
Steven.

P.s. Thank you for keeping England in your prayers.

Question Answered by Bro. Ignatius Mary, OLSM+

Dear Steven:

Very well expressed. I agree.

There was one case in which a person at a meeting stood up and spoke in tongues.

As it happened there was a priest at the meeting who recognized the language spoken by this woman; it was his native language. He approached the woman and ask if she knew what she had said "in tongues". She did not know.

The priest said, "you were speaking my native language and what you said was cursing God.

Another priest at a charismatic meeting got up and spoke "in tongues". Another person interpreted. After the woman interpretor finished the priest flashed his finger at her and loudly said, "You are a fraud. That is not what I said. What I said was the Our Father in Polish."

I have been wanting to learn the Our Father in Polish to test the validity of "interpretors" because the Polish language, at least to the American ear, sounds a lot like the typical tongues speaking of many charismatics.

Bottomline: Everyone and their cat speaks in tongues -- the devil, demons, shamans, witch doctors, occultist, satanist, possessed people (one of the official signs of possession), etc. Tongues is so easy to counterfeit. It can hardly be a productive sign of much of anything as a result.

ANYONE speaking in tongues needs to have them tested; and no, thinking that good fruits have come from speaking in tongues, or that great spiritual feelings and insights have come from speaking in tongues IS NOT ENOUGH. The biblical test of the spirit if needed.

God Bless,
Bro. Ignatius Mary

Footer Notes: This forum is for general questions on the faith. See specific Topic Forums below:
Spiritual Warfare, demons, the occult go to our Spiritul Warfare Q&S Forum.
Liturgy Questions go to our Liturgy and Liturgical Law Q&A Forum
Liturgy of the Hours (Divine Office) Questions go to our Divine Office Q&A Forum
Defenfing the Faith Questions go to our Defending the Faith Q&A Forum
Church History Questions go to our Church History Q&A Forum