At the time of writing this, I have never prayed in tongues. A priest friend encouraged me to read this book to better understand this mysterious and often misunderstood gift in the life of the Church today.
Why read this book?
Linda Schubert invites readers to discover a form of prayer that goes beyond words — a love-language of the Holy Spirit meant not just for a few, but for every believer longing for deeper intimacy with God. She writes with warmth and honesty to those who doubt, overthink, or feel spiritually stuck, showing that the gift of tongues is not emotional excess or spiritual elitism, but a charism of love and healing that draws the soul into deeper communion with Jesus.
Through her own story of loss and surrender, Linda reveals how this gift transformed grief into intimacy, cynicism into faith, and isolation into a living friendship with the Bridegroom of her soul. Reading this book feels like an invitation to let the Holy Spirit pray through you — to allow even your simplest words, like water at Cana, to be transformed into something supernatural.
What is the Gift of Tongues?
Linda defines tongues as a “heart-to-heart, intimate expression with God that goes beyond words, and opens us up to possibilities beyond our imagining.” As a charism, it is a gift of the Holy Spirit given for the good of the Church — a sacred prayer language that deepens love, trust, and dependence on God.
Using the wedding at Cana as her central image, Linda explains that Jesus still takes what is natural and transforms it into what is divine. When we offer our simple, human sounds in faith, the Spirit turns them into supernatural prayer — a doorway to grace and miracles born of love. The Song of Songs deepens this image as the Bride’s voice calling to the Bridegroom — a love that transcends language (cf. Sg 2:14; 8:13; 1 Cor 14:15; Rom 8:26).
How Tongues Sounds and Works
Praying in tongues may at first sound like childlike syllables or wordless groans, but it is not nonsense — it is the language of the heart reaching toward the heart of God. Paul writes, “The Spirit himself intercedes for us with inexpressible groanings” (Rom 8:26). Each person’s prayer language is unique; the goal is not imitation but surrender. The miracle begins when we, like the servants at Cana, take the simple step of obedience — opening our mouths in trust and allowing Jesus to transform the natural into the supernatural.
A Brief History of Tongues
From Pentecost onward, believers “spoke in new tongues as the Spirit enabled them” (Acts 2:4). This sign fulfilled Jesus’ promise that those who believe “will speak in new tongues” (Mk 16:17) and became a mark of divine empowerment for the Church’s mission (Acts 10:46; 19:6). Throughout the centuries, saints such as Ignatius of Loyola, John Vianney, Anthony of Padua, and Teresa of Avila experienced Spirit-led prayer that transcended speech. St. Teresa described it as “a strange and mysterious kind of prayer… most safe and beneficial.”
In modern times, the Catholic Charismatic Renewal, beginning with the 1967 Duquesne Weekend, reawakened this gift within the Church. Ordinary Catholics experienced being baptized in the Holy Spirit and began to pray in tongues — fulfilling Pope Leo XIII’s prayer for “a new Pentecost.” As Linda reminds us, this charism continues to draw believers into deeper communion with the Holy Spirit and empower them for evangelization and mission.
Praying and Growing in the Gift
Praying in tongues, Linda says, is like spiritual exercise — the more we use it, the stronger it becomes. Over time, it weaves into daily life, building endurance, faith, and sensitivity to God’s presence (cf. Jude 20). Tongues can take many forms: gentle “easy tongues” for daily prayer, strong “battle tongues” in intercession, joyful “praise tongues” in worship, or new expressions as the Spirit leads. In every form, the key is surrender — allowing the Holy Spirit to guide, protect, and complete each moment of prayer.
Tongues is not mere sound but communion — a living dialogue that unites Scripture, intercession, and repentance in one act of love. Through it, the Holy Spirit reaches into every part of our being — spiritual, emotional, physical, and relational — healing, strengthening, and renewing us. “I will pray with the spirit, but I will also pray with the mind” (1 Cor 14:15).
🔥 Prayer of Repentance and Release of the Holy Spirit 🔥
Before we pray, remember the wedding at Cana. The servants didn’t know how Jesus would work His miracle — they simply obeyed. He told them, “Fill the jars with water,” and as they obeyed, He turned that water into wine. In the same way, Jesus asks you to offer what is natural so He can make it supernatural. Your part is obedience: open your mouth, make a sound, and let Him transform it into prayer. Don’t overthink it — just be like the servants at Cana. Be obedient, relax, and pray:
Lord Jesus, I come before You with a humble heart. I know that repentance is an act of love, and I want to be free to love You more. Forgive me for every time I have resisted Your invitations, neglected prayer, or gone my own way. Cleanse me of pride, fear, and self-reliance. I forgive all who have hurt me and receive Your grace to forgive myself. Heal what is wounded, soften what is hardened, and fill me with a right spirit.
Jesus, I surrender my whole life to You. Come into every hidden place of my heart and make it Your home. You are my Lord and Savior; I hold nothing back. Baptize me in the Holy Spirit. Stir up every gift You have placed within me and fill me with Your presence, power, and peace.
Now, Holy Spirit, come. Guide my prayer and fill my heart with Your fire. As I open my mouth and begin to speak, form the words and give them meaning. Release in me the gift of praying in tongues — a language of love between You and me, You in me and I in You. Let my voice become an instrument of Your love and power. Pray through me what You desire to express, and draw me deeper into the heart of Jesus. Thank You for awakening this gift and teaching me to use it for Your glory. Amen.
(Now begin to pray or sing softly to the Lord. Don’t overthink the sounds — let them flow. As you move your lips in faith, the Spirit will meet you and draw you into His language of love.)
Tongues in the Fabric of Your Life — Key Insights
The more we pray in tongues, the more it becomes part of who we are. Like a muscle strengthened through use, this gift builds spiritual endurance and deepens our sensitivity to God’s presence. It can be prayed in many ways — for intercession, worship, inner healing, or simply conversation with God. Tongues also teaches us to listen, to discern, and to bring every situation — temptation, fear, sickness, or confusion — into the presence of the Spirit who prays within us.
Used faithfully, tongues is not mindless chatter but heart-deep communion. It forms us into love itself, the true language of heaven (1 Cor 13:1). Over time, it weaves prayer into every aspect of life — strengthening the soul, healing the emotions, renewing the mind, and drawing us ever closer to the heart of Jesus.
Closing Reflection
Reading The Gift of Tongues: A Doorway to Miracles helped me see that this gift is ultimately about love, obedience, and transformation. My favorite image is the wedding at Cana — where Jesus turns ordinary water into extraordinary wine. Linda Schubert uses this as a beautiful analogy for tongues: when we offer what is simple and natural in faith, the Holy Spirit transforms it into something divine. That moment of cooperation becomes the true doorway to miracles — not always dramatic ones, but the quiet miracles of healing, intimacy, and divine love poured into our hearts. For me, this book was less about learning to speak a new language and more about learning to yield — to let God take the ordinary material of my life and, through the Holy Spirit, turn it into something miraculous.
Prodigal Catholic 
Thanks a lot dear and Reverend Father