Elder St Porphyrios on Tongues…
“Whereas Peter the apostle was speaking his own tongue, the lan-
guage was instantaneously transformed in the mind of the hearers. In
an ineffable way the Holy Spirit made them understand his words in
their language, mystically, imperceptibly. These miraculous things
happen through the action of the Holy Spirit…‘house’ would be heard by the person who spoke French as ‘maison. It
was a kind of gift of clear sight; they heard their own language. The
sound struck their ears, but in their minds, through divine illumina-
tion, the words were heard in their own tongue. The Church Fathers
don’t reveal this interpretation of Pentecost very clearly, they are’
afraid of distorting the mystery. The same is true of the Revelation of
Saint John. The uninitiated are unable to comprehend the meaning of J
the mystery of God.”
– Wounded by Love