Posted by Johnboy on November 16, 1998 at 12:41:54:
In Reply to: Re: Speaking in Tongues posted by Johnboy on November 16, 1998 at 10:00:13:
http://innerexplorations.com/chmystext/cm.htm
the link above at the Arraj website has an excellent discussion of glossolalia---should any of us think we could oversimplify this phenomenon
no one doubts that the Holy Spirit is "operative" as we cooperate with grace in ALL prayer; still, it is no mere academic exercise when we seek to draw distinctions between prayer forms such as meditation and contemplation and "states" in between ... with John of the Cross we seek discernment as to whether or not we are called to infused contemplative prayer ...
this has long been a legitimate concern of spiritual direction because the implications for whether or not we are to be active or passive in prayer are profound
thus, when such issues are raised of Charismatics or CP practitioners, they aren't idle issues but practical considerations
at the same time, the wonder of Catholicity is that, whether Juan de la Cruz is a mystical doctor or not, he is not necessarily normative because along side the Carmelites are the Bendictines, the Cistercians, etc with wonderful mystical prayer traditions ...what is normative for catholic prayer? or is that an oxymoron ? shalom,
johnboy