The following are words given by participants at the streamed meeting. 1 Corinthians 14:29 says that "Two or three prophets should speak, and the others weigh carefully what is said." 1 Thess 5:19-21 tells us not to despise prophecies, but to test everything and retain what is good.
At beginning of meeting Scripture Reading 1 Cor 14:1, 26 - "Set your hearts on spiritual gifts. What do we propose, brothers and sisters? When you assemble, one has a psalm, another some instruction to give, still another a revelation to share; one speaks in a tongue, another interprets. All is well and good, so long as everything is done with a constructive purpose."
The song we sung, I just want to speak the name of Jesus, was sort of like my day today. It really touched my heart. I went to Mass, Adoration. I brought to God all the problems that's happening to my sister. She's having so many problems with cancer and everything that's going on. I sort of felt peace but I needed to share it with other people and I was just shaking, kind of like anxiety. Afterwards, I got peace all day.
Prophecy - Right from the beginning of the meeting, before we even started, until now, I keep hearing the same words, "Be thankful, be thankful. Give thanks for all things. Continue being thankful. By being thankful, my children, the evil one is defeated. Continue being thankful. For the little things, the big things, be thankful. Be thankful in the darkness, be thankful in the light. Continue being thankful."
Scripture Reading John 15:5-7 - "I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in me and I in him, he bears much fruit for apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up, and they gather them and cast them into the fire and they are burned. If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish and it will be done for you."
Prophecy - "My people, my people, set your mouth on fire with my love."
Scripture Reading Romans 16:17-20 - "I appeal to you, brethren, to take note of those who create dissensions and difficulties, in opposition to the doctrine which you have been taught; avoid them. For such persons do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites, and by fair and flattering words they deceive the hearts of the simple-minded. For while your obedience is known to all, so that I rejoice over you, I would have you wise as to what is good and guileless as to what is evil; then the God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you."
Scripture Reading Sirach 39:16-20 - "All the works of the Lord are very good, and whatever he commands will be done at the appointed time. No one can say, 'What is this?' or 'Why is that?' - for at the appointed time all such questions will be answered. At his word the waters stood in a heap, and the reservoirs of water at the word of his mouth. When he commands, his every purpose is fulfilled, and none can limit his saving power. The works of all are before him, and nothing can be hidden from his eyes. From the beginning to the end of time he can see everything, and nothing is too marvelous for him."
Scripture Reading Phil 2:1-4 - "So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any solace in love, any participation in the Spirit, any compassion and mercy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, with the same love, united in heart, thinking one thing. Do nothing out of selfishness or out of vainglory; rather, humbly regard others as more important than yourselves, each looking out not for his own interests, but for everyone else."
Prophecy - "My dear child, look and think of how I lavished on you so much attention. Often you forget at evenday, I'm moving among all the little things of your life. Dear my delight, it thrills me no corner where I can clean and help ??. You need so much to know I'm ordering all the details of your life. Not a moment goes by that I don't know about you."
I was struck this morning when I read the Gospel. When Jesus walked into, Peter's mother-in-law who was ill with a fever, he just took her hand, she got up, the fever left her and she served him. And that really, really struck me. And what struck me is that Jesus is all-powerful. We just need to call on his name. When we sang that song, 'I just want to speak the name of Jesus, there's power in his name,' it just brought back what I was contemplating and meditating on this morning: the name of Jesus. It is all- powerful. We need to use it often.
Dr. Mary Healy spoke on the gift of tongues. In 1 Corinthians 14, St. Paul is responding to what is evidently immature use of the gift of tongues and other gifts of the Holy Spirit. He corrects them and yet he also says, "Strive eagerly for the spiritual gifts." In his list of gifts, he lists the gift of tongues. He also said, "I thank God that I speak in tongues more than you all." And he said, "I want you all to speak in tongues, but even more to prophesy."
Catechism paragraph 2003 - "Whatever their character, sometimes it is extraordinary such as the gift of miracles or tongues, charisms are oriented towards sanctifying grace and are intended for the common good of the church."
In 1 Cor we see that the gift of tongues is referring to a gift of praying and praising God in a way that goes beyond human words. It's speaking under the influence of the Holy Spirit in a language that you don't understand. St. Paul says, "One who speaks in a tongue, speaks not to men but to God for no one understands him but he utters mysteries in the Spirit."
St. Paul also talks about tongues as a message. A person sometimes has a gift of an utterance, a message in tongues which is intended for a person or an assembly. In that case, he says it needs an interpretation. So, the person should pray for the gift of interpretation either for himself or someone else. And once it's interpreted, the message in tongues becomes a prophecy. The message is understood and it builds up those who hear it. St. Paul says, 'Whoever prays in tongues edifies himself. Whoever prophesies edifies the church.'
Sometimes there is a miraculous element to the gift of tongues and that is when somebody is speaking in tongues and a person hears it in their own language. That is what happened on the Day of Pentecost. It becomes a gift for evangelization. The people are hearing the gospel in their own language.
Sometimes a person is speaking in their own language like St. Vincent Ferrer, and yet heard in a variety of other languages by people who did not understand his language. This continues to happen occasionally today.
In Acts we see the non intelligible form of the gift of tongues.
The Fathers of the Church spoke of tongues in both forms: the form of words understood by no one except the Lord and the form of something that was understood by the hearers in their own language. As time went on, the terminology shifted and the Fathers tended to reserve the word tongues for that miraculous form, Day of Pentecost form. But for the other form of tongues, praying and praising God that goes beyond words, they used the term 'jubilation'. St Augustine - "One who jubilates does not utter words, but a certain sound of joy without words. Rejoicing in exultation, one uses words that cannot be spoken and understood but simply lets one's joy burst forth without words. One's voice then appears to express happiness so intense that one cannot explain it."
St. Thomas Aquinas - "When our mind is kindled by devotion as we pray, we break out spontaneously into weeping and sighing and cries of jubilation and other such noises. We have to serve the God to whom we offer reverence and prayer not only with our minds but also with our bodies."
Most of the supernatural gifts of the Holy Spirit that St. Paul talks about have a natural counterpart. i.e. teaching, prophecy, healing. Most of the gifts of the Holy Spirit build on and elevate some form of natural gift to a supernatural level.
The gift of tongues is a humble gift. It's a gift that fosters simplicity. It's a gift that purifies us, that opens the door to other gifts because it teaches us to yield to the Holy Spirit. It's a gift for intercession. St. Paul says in Romans, "We do not know how to pray as we ought but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words."
The gift of tongues is a form of contemplative prayer out loud. Contemplative prayer is prayer that goes beyond mental prayer; heart to heart communion with the Lord.
Sometimes it's in the form of singing with a group of people. St. Paul exhorts us to sing spiritual songs to the Lord and to one another. King David leaped and danced before the Ark of the Lord. (2 Samuel 6:14) He just had to express his worship. When his wife, Michal, saw this, she despised him. His response was, "I will make myself yet more contemptible than this to honor the Lord who is worthy of my praise." He just wanted to give the Lord his everything even though he might have looked foolish in the eyes of the Lord.
Can the devil counterfeit the gift of tongues? Yes. He can counterfeit all the gifts of the Holy Spirit. There's false prophecy, false teachings, false signs and wonders. The answer is we discern. We don't suppress the gifts of the Holy Spirit. St. Paul said, "Do not quench the Holy Spirit. Do not despise prophesying but test everything. Hold fast to everything that is good. Turn away from every form of evil."
Anyone can seek the gifts of the Holy Spirit with an impure motivation, seeking power, seeking spiritual control. Acts of the Apostles - Simon the magician wanted the power to fill people with the Holy Spirit like Peter and John did. There can be pride and self-aggrandizement.
But what we can be sure of is that anyone who asks for any of the gifts of the Holy Spirit with a sincere heart because they love God and they want to serve him and to build up the church that the Lord is trustworthy. He's not going to let them be possessed by a devil because they're asking for the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Jesus said, "What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will give him a serpent instead of a fish? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!" (Luke 11:11-13) In Matthew 7:11 - "How much more will the heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him!"
Sharen gave praise that her husband has found a suitable pain relief for his hip.
Richard gave a praise report. He went to the oncologist today, his 3 month visit. His blood work was 100% and the doctor said, "I'll see you in 6 months."
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