Commentary on 1 Corinthians
Lecture 3
Interpretation of tongues
14:13 And therefore he who speaks by a tongue, let him pray that he may interpret. [n. 834]
14:14 For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays: but my mind is without fruit. [n. 836]
14:15 What is it then? I will pray with the spirit, I will pray also with the mind, I will sing with the spirit, I will sing also with the mind. [n. 841]
14:16 Else, if you shall bless with the spirit, how shall he who holds the place of the unlearned say, amen, to your blessing? Because he knows not what you say. [n. 842]
14:17 For you indeed give thanks well: but the other is not edified. [n. 846]
834. Having shown that the gift of prophecy excels the gift of tongues with reasons taken on the part of exhortation, the Apostle now shows the same thing with reasons taken on the part of prayer; for we perform these two things with the tongue, namely, prayer and exhortation.
In regard to this he does two things: first, he proves that prophecy excels the gift of tongues with reasons; second, with examples, at I thank my God (1 Cor 14:18).
In regard to the first he does two things: first, he shows the necessity of prayer; second, how in prayer the gift of prophecy is more powerful than the gift of tongues, at for if I pray in a tongue.
835. First, therefore, he says: I have said that the gift of tongues without the gift of prophecy has no value, because interpretation is an act of prophecy, which is more excellent than he who speaks by a tongue. One who speaks in a tongue, unknown or foreign, certain hidden mysteries, should pray, namely, to God, that he may interpret, i.e., that the grace to interpret be given him: praying that God may open to us a door (Col 4:3).
A Gloss exposits pray differently. For ‘to pray’ is said to be twofold, namely either to beseech God or to prevail upon him; as if he says: he who speaks by a tongue, let him pray, i.e., let him prevail upon God, that he may interpret. And so the Gloss understands ‘to pray’ here for the whole chapter. But this is not the meaning of the Apostle, but rather it is ‘to beseech God.’
836. For if I pray in a tongue. Here he shows that in praying, prophecy is more valuable than the gift of tongues in two ways: first, with a reason based on the one praying; second, on the one hearing, at else, if you shall bless with the spirit.
In regard to the first he does two things: first, he presents a reason showing the truth of his proposition; second, he removes an objection, at what is it then?
837. In regard to the first it should be noted that prayer is of two kinds: one is private, namely, when one prays in himself and for himself; the other is public, when one prays before the people and for others. In both cases one can use the gift of tongues and the gift of prophecy. Hence he wants to show that in both cases the gift of prophecy is more valuable than the gift of tongues.
First, in private prayer, if an outsider says his own prayer, saying a psalm or the Our Father and he does not understand what he says, he prays with the tongue and it does not concern him whether he is praying with words granted him by the Holy Spirit or with someone else’s words: and if another prays and understands what he is saying, he, indeed, both prays and prophesies. It is evident that one who prays and understands accomplishes more than one who prays only in a tongue, namely, who does not understand what he is saying. For the one who understands is refreshed both in intellect and affections, but the mind of one who does not understand receives no fruit of refreshment. Hence, since it is better to be refreshed in mind and affections than in affections only, it is obvious that in prayer the gift of prophecy is more valuable than the gift of tongues.
838. And this is what he says: I say that let him pray that he may interpret, for if I pray in a tongue, i.e., use the gift of tongues in praying, so that I utter what I do not understand; then my Spirit, i.e., the Holy Spirit given to me, prays, who inclines and moves me to pray. Nevertheless, I merit in that prayer, because the very fact that I am moved by the Holy Spirit is merit for me: we do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit himself makes us ask (Rom 8:26).
Or my spirit, i.e., my reason, prays, i.e., tells me that I should ask for things which are good, either in my own words or those of other saints.
Or my spirit, i.e., the imagination, prays in the sense that words of the likenesses of bodily things are only in the imagination without being understood by the intellect. Therefore, he adds: but my mind, i.e., my intellect, is without fruit, because it does not understand.
Therefore, prophecy or interpretation is better in prayer than is the gift of tongues.
839. But is it true that whenever anyone prays and does not understand what he is saying, he obtains no fruit?
The answer is that the fruit of prayer is twofold: one fruit is the merit the person obtains; the other fruit is the spiritual consolation and devotion produced by the prayer. In regard to the fruit of spiritual devotion, one is deprived of it, if he does not attend to what he is praying, or does not understand; but in regard to the fruit of merit, one is not necessarily deprived of it. For many prayers would be without merit, since a man can scarcely say the Our Father without his mind wandering to other things.
Therefore, it must be said that when the one praying is sometimes diverted from what he is saying, or when a person engaged in one meritorious work does not continually think at each step that he is doing this for God, he does not lose the reason for merit. The reason for this is that in all meritorious acts ordained to the right end, it is not required that the intention of the performer be united to the end in every act: but the first influence, which moves the intention, remains in the entire work, even if in some particular it be distracted; and this first influence makes the entire work meritorious, unless it is interrupted by a contrary affection which turns one from the original and to a contrary end.
840. But it should be noted that attention is threefold: one is to the words the man is saying: and this is harmful sometimes, inasmuch as it impedes devotion; another is to the sense of the words, and this is harmful, but not very much; the third is to the end, and this is better and, as it were, necessary.
Nevertheless, when the Apostle says my mind is without fruit, it is understood of the fruit of refreshment.
841. What is it then? Because someone could say: inasmuch as prayer in a tongue is without fruit to the mind, but the spirit prays, should one then not pray in the spirit?
Therefore, the Apostle answers this objection, saying that one should pray in both ways, in the spirit and in the mind; because man should serve God with all the things he has from God. But from God he has spirit and mind; therefore, he should pray with both: with all his heart he will praise God (Sir 47:8). Therefore, he says: I will pray with the spirit, I will pray also with the mind; I will sing with the spirit and I will sing also with the mind.
And so he says that he will pray and sing; because prayer is the beseeching of God, and so he says, I will pray, or it is praising him, and so he says I will sing. Concerning these two it is said: is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is any cheerful? Let him sing (Jas 5:13). Sing praises to the Lord (Ps 9:11).
I will pray, therefore, with the spirit, i.e., imagination, and with the mind, i.e., the will.
842. Else if you shall bless. Here, second, he shows that the gift of prophecy is more valuable than the gift of tongues, even in public prayer, which is when a priest prays in public, where he sometimes says things he does not understand and sometimes things he does understand.
In regard to this he does three things: first, he presents a reason; second, he explains, at how shall he who holds; third, he proves what he had presupposed, at because he knows not what you say.
843. He says, therefore: I have said that the gift of prophecy in private prayer is more beneficial, but also in public, else if you shall bless, i.e., if you give a blessing with the spirit, i.e., in a tongue not understood, or with the imagination, and moved by the Holy Spirit, he who holds the place of the unlearned (who knows only the tongue in which he was born). As if to say: you will say what he should say there to the ignorant man; for what he should say there is amen.
844. Therefore, he says: how shall he. . . say, amen, to your blessing, where a Gloss says, i.e., how shall he consent to the blessing given by you in the name of the Church? he who is blessed on the earth will be blessed in God. Amen (Isa 55:16). Amen is the same as let it be done, or it is so. As if to say: if he does not know what you are saying, how shall he conform himself to your utterances? He could conform, even if he does not understand, but only in a general way, because he cannot understand what good thing you are saying, but only that you are blessing.
845. But why are blessings not given in the vernacular, so that they will be understood by the people and conform themselves to them more?
The answer is that this probably happened in the early Church, but later the faithful were instructed and know what they hear in the common office, where blessings are given in Latin.
846. Then he proves why he cannot say, amen, when he says: for you indeed give thanks well to God, inasmuch as you understand, but the other, who hears and does not understand, is not edified, for he does not understand in detail, even if he understands in a general way and is edified: let no evil thought come out of your mouth, but only such as is good for edifying (Eph 4:29).
Consequently, it is better not only to bless in a tongue, but also to interpret and explain, although you who give thanks do well.