vladimirgrebenar 
Charisms are extraordinary gifts of the Holy Spirit by which God communicates with man in a special way. The Apostle Paul cites exactly nine extraordinary gifts: “For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit; To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues” (1 Cor. 12:8-10). In the context of listening to and doing the will of God, the charisms of prayer in tongues, interpretation of tongues, prophecy, discernment of spirits, knowledge, wisdom, and extraordinary faith are especially important.
Prayer in tongues is the first vocal charism of the three spoken charisms, the other two are the interpretation of tongues and prophecy. A person baptized in the Spirit can pray in other tongues without understanding the meaning of that speech. When a person receives this grace, he first prays with a few unknown words, and over time and after persistent prayer the number of words increases more and more. Prayer in tongues is a sign that the Holy Spirit is active in a special way, because the Spirit prays and speaks through human words that the praying person does not understand: “Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered“ (Rom. 8:26).
The first Christians could not pray litanies, rosaries, breviaries and other prayers, because all these prayers originated centuries later. Many Christians in the early days of the Church were illiterate people who could not read and could not attend a school where they would be taught the faith. However, God is perfectly just and therefore foresaw prayer in tongues for all people of all times as a special gift by which the Spirit himself intercedes for the needs of the praying person when he does not know how and what to pray: “for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him” (Matt. 6:8).
Prayer in tongues is in a way a picture of the faith to which we are called, because the praying person before God withdraws his rational thinking and allows the Spirit he received through baptism to use his bodily sense of speech and intercede for his needs: “For if I pray in an unknown tongue, my spirit prayeth, but my understanding is unfruitful” (1 Cor. 14:14). In other words, the one who prays in tongues seems to allow the Spirit to speak for him: “Guide me, O, Lord, heal my wounds, set before me Your choices, give me the strength to do Your will, the grace to follow You…“
The very act of prayer is union with God in a special way, because the Spirit of God in man prays for man’s needs and in such a visible way proves that the Church is a mystical Body of Christ composed of believers united by one Spirit: “But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will” (1 Cor. 12:11).
Before the Holy Spirit descended on the apostles at Pentecost, they were afraid for their lives, denied Jesus, and hid from the Jews and Romans. After the resurrection, the Lord promised the apostles the descent of the Spirit: “And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high“ (Luke 24:49). That is why they were all gathered in one place, and just before the baptism in the Spirit they saw something like tongues of fire above their heads.
When the Spirit descended upon the apostles, all the apostles began to pray in other tongues: “And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance” (Acts 2:1-4). Thus, the visible sign of baptism in the Spirit is prayer in tongues. What happened after this event? The Church was born! The apostles were born again and became fearless. Their faith overcame rationality, and nothing could stop them from spreading the Good News.
Today, many Christians pray in tongues, but unfortunately many do not want to activate this gift or have resistance to this prayer. Some say that they did not receive this gift, but this is not true, because through the sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation they also received the gift of prayer in tongues and other charisms that cannot be active against the will of man. Prayer in tongues and other charisms can be active only if a Christian so desires and prays for that grace with all his heart, for God will not activate extraordinary gifts against our will.
The apostle Paul taught the early Christians that they must have great desire and fervent prayer in order to activate extraordinary gifts: “desire spiritual gifts” (1 Cor. 14:1). A person can kneel in the silence of the room, humble himself like a little child, invoke the Spirit of God and try to pray in tongues and the Lord will grant that grace if the heart is open. Christians who have chosen to be rationalists and have not known Jesus with their hearts cannot pray in tongues. In them, the charisms are blocked because they do not allow the Spirit which “bloweth where it listeth” (John 3:8).
Prayer in tongues is the prayer of the heart, not the mind. Some believe that prayer in tongues is childish and obsolete, and that science and philosophy give a better direction to the faith, but Jesus said: “Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven” (Matt. 18:3). Jesus admonished us to be careful about what we say about the Spirit: “And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come” (Matt. 12:32).
Some seek to downplay the charisms of the Spirit by referring to the apostle Paul who exalted love above charisma. However, St. Paul did not dispute charisms, but taught that charisms are a sure path to Christian love, that is, that the purpose of charisms is to achieve love: “Follow after charity, and desire spiritual gifts” (1 Cor. 14:1). Paul sharply warned the community in Thessaloniki, and thus all our contemporaries who resist the action of charisms: “Quench not the Spirit” (1 Thess. 5:19). Finally, before ascending to heaven, Jesus Himself spoke of prayer in tongues as a sign of faith: “And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues” (Mark 16:17).
Usually, these are the words that glorify God and acknowledge God’s greatness, love, and mercy toward man. There are also words that pray to God to heal and free the heart from all that prevents it from listening to and doing the will of the Father. Thus, the Holy Spirit can intercede for us, among other intentions, to free us from the fear of God, which is a barrier to changing the direction of life and starting some important activity. It is important that the person who has this wonderful and precious gift prays daily in tongues, because the great power and anointing of the Spirit descends upon the person, his family, work, and the space in which he lives and works.
Spoken words of prayer in tongues are most often either some active foreign language or some extinct old language, because God wants to be glorified in the languages of extinct peoples who have never known it as well. When we pray in tongues, the Holy Spirit who is the living divine person in us prays for us. One may want to pray in tongues, but the very sighs and words of prayer are given by the Spirit who calls from the depths of our hearts for what we truly need.
By praying in tongues, the Holy Spirit can completely change the heart of the praying person so that at some point a person feels ready to accept some great life challenge by walking in faith, and such challenges include the decision to start a business. Some people are strong and brave enough on their own to embark on great adventures, and some are wounded and weak, but by praying in tongues they can gain the strength to embark on a more challenging life adventure with Jesus. The fruits of this prayer are always determination and courage for decisions and actions important for daily work and life. A man who prays persistently in other tongues builds himself up for greater works to the glory of God.
Interpretation of tongues is another vocal charism directly related to the gift of prayer in tongues. It is customary for a person who has the gift of prayer in tongues to receive this gift: “Wherefore let him that speaketh in an unknown tongue pray that he may interpret” (1 Cor. 14:13). However, not all Christians who pray in tongues receive the gift of interpretation. Interpretation translates in the Spirit what a person who prays in tongues speaks. The person who prays in tongues, the person who interprets tongues, but also all others who are open-hearted to hear God’s will benefit from the interpretation of tongues.
A person who prays in tongues can hear from a person who interprets tongues that the Spirit is committed to some of their intentions that are important for life. Interpretation is the charism given by God for the greater building of the faith of the individual, but also of the community to which the believer belongs. Growth in faith directly affects an individual who goes from a kind of passivity and waiting to proactivity for the Lord. The interpretation of tongues is a gift greater than the gift of prayer in tongues and is almost equal to the gift of prophecy: “I would that ye all spake with tongues but rather that ye prophesied: for greater is he that prophesieth than he that speaketh with tongues, except he interpret, that the church may receive edifying” (1 Cor. 14:5).
When a person prays in tongues without the gift of interpretation, then he should pray discreetly for himself, and when he has the gift of interpretation, he can speak and interpret languages in front of other people for the common building of the Church. It is common for one person to pray in tongues and another to interpret languages, but it may be that the same person prays and interprets languages. Prayer in tongues along with the interpretation of tongues strongly builds a person for greater acts of testimony for the Lord, and those acts of testimony are both work and business endeavors.