When I pray in silent contemplation, I simply remain without words, or with only a few words, in the Lord’s presence, looking at Him in faith.

I do not have any great things to say, any particular thoughts or ideas. I am just looking lovingly at the Lord looking at me. I am silently contemplating Him.

I do something similar when I pray in Tongues. I do not have any specific thoughts or ideas. I do not understand what I am saying or singing in Tongues. The meaning of Tongues is not in the sounds, as though they were words that represented ideas. The meaning of Tongues lies in the heart.

When I pray in Tongues, I simply look at the Lord in faith and sing to Him some syllables that do not have any special meaning except expressing what is beyond language. Prayer in Tongues is vocal contemplation. I can contemplate the Lord silently or out loud.

Many people who receive the Gift of Tongues after the Baptism of the Holy Spirit begin their daily prayer time with a brief period of Tongues for a few minutes before they enter into the Lord’s presence and remain there silently in contemplative prayer.

We do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit Himself prays for us with sighs too deep for words. And He who searches the heart knows what is the mind of the Spirit(Rom 8:26-27).

When I do not know what to say or what to ask, when a situation is beyond me I can pray in Tongues, asking the Holy Spirit within me to take over the meaning of my prayer.

(Edited extract from: The Contemplative Way of Prayer by Robert Faricy, S.J. and Lucy Rooney, S.N.D. p 43 Queenship Publishing company Santa Barbara, California 1986)

PRAYER COMMENT:

This Gift is the Language of the Holy Spirit and is the gateway to all the supernatural Gifts of the Holy Spirit for healing and holiness.