Our last post spoke of the gift of tongues as a charismatic gift, which manifested itself in the early Church at the time of St. Paul, and was seen as an important way in which the Holy Spirit worked in the Church. Indeed, there are signs that this gift is still given in the Church today, especially amongst those who are part of the charismatic movements. It is a gift that is often regarded with much suspicion by onlookers. It expresses itself as people speaking a series of words that to our ears seem to make no sense. What possible use could this be?This question is one which was very important also in the time of St Paul. The First Letter to the Corinthians, in speaking of the many gifts, names 'the interpretation of tongues' as an important part of the whole range of gifts (1 Cor 12:10). We see how the gift of tongues is of no use unless the words spoken can be interpreted. Words should never be empty and meaningless, because this is a misuse of language. After all, words are only of use as a way of communicating, and, as such, an individual who speaks in a way that cannot be understood is not communicating at all. The tongues must be interpreted, and this is a gift in itself. This is just one of many ways in which we see how firmly Paul believes that the Christian life is not simply about the individual, but individuals united in a common belief in Jesus Christ, and living a life shaped by that belief.
There are different opinions about the charismatic gifts in today's Church. Nevertheless, there is much that all of us can learn from Paul's writings on the subject. After naming the charismatic gifts, he goes on to show how important it is that, whatever our gifts are, they are used for the building up of the Church. All the members of the Church have a range of gifts, and no two individuals are the same. This reality shows both how important and valued each and every individual is to God and to the Church, yet also how the individual forms part of the whole, and is dependent on the others. As part of the whole which is the body of Christ, the Church, we find both our dignity as individuals and a way of self-transcendence which makes us capable of more than we could ever imagine.
Thanks for your posts about the gifts of the Spirit!
ReplyDeleteI have been thinking about these a lot in preparation for Pentecost. One thing I don't really understand, however, is why certain gifts, as you have mentioned here, seem to be solely bestowed upon certain groups, like the charismatic movements.
In fact, my priest in his homily today mentioned time when he was taken to a charismatic event and witnessed singing in tongues, and described how amazing it was. I don't doubt what he saw, and I'm not suggesting that the Holy Spirit is working there somehow, but I just don't understand it. This is a real difficultly for me, as I'm on of those people who tries (and more often than not fails!) to learn as much as I can about my faith.
I don't know whether it's got something to do with my British genetics, but I've always been a bit cynical, preferring to err on the side of caution when it comes to miracles and what not. But this cynicism is causing me a bit of anguish at the moment...what can I do to alleviate my problem with understanding what the Holy Spirit's gifts are really about?