“The Lord, through the Iveron Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos, reminds us that He does not abandon Georgia. The Most Holy Theotokos also constantly cares for us, prays to God for us, and intercedes on our behalf before Him. The appearance of this icon is one of the confirmations of her protection and mercy,” said the Locum Tenens of the Patriarchal Throne, Metropolitan Shio (Mujiri) of Senaki and Chkhorotsku, in his sermon on Bright Tuesday during the feast of the Iveron Icon of the Mother of God.

According to him, if during Lent people reflected on repentance, after Lent they must think and take care not to return to the sins they have repented of.

“Your Eminence, honorable fathers, brothers and sisters, I congratulate you on the glorious feast of the Resurrection! I also congratulate you on Bright Tuesday. As you know, this entire week is equal to Easter. I congratulate you on the feast of the Iveron Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos, in whose name this beautiful church is built. I especially congratulate all those who serve in this church—you, Father Shio, those who serve, sing, pray, the builders and donors of this church.

During Great Lent, the Holy Church called us to repentance and confession. Many of us heeded this call. Many came to church, confessed, received Holy Communion, and, as much as possible, purified their souls. However, there are also those who did not listen to the motherly voice of the Church and did not come.

What is the reason for this? It may be heavy sins weighing on a person’s soul, but they do not want to part with these sins or struggle against them. More often, the reason is that a person becomes spiritually empty, spiritually dead, abandoned without confession, and no longer feels the need for cleansing and spiritual purification. Such people take great care of their bodies but do not care for their souls.

If during Lent we thought about repentance, after Lent, in this period, we must reflect and strive not to return to the sins we have repented of, not to repeat them, and not to leave our soul without spiritual nourishment and care, as the Apostle Paul teaches us: ‘Do not quench the Spirit’ (1 Thessalonians 5:19).

What does ‘quench’ mean? ‘Do not quench’ means: ‘do not extinguish the Spirit.’ May the grace and joy of the Resurrection help us in this.

As I mentioned, today is the feast of the Iveron Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos. As you remember, it miraculously appeared in the sea near the Iviron Monastery on Mount Athos. Our Georgian holy fathers brought it out of the sea and placed it in the church, but the next morning it was found above the gate, which is why it is called the ‘Gatekeeper Icon.’ As it is said in the Akathist: ‘Rejoice, gracious Gatekeeper, who opens the gates of Paradise to the righteous.’

Thus, the Most Holy Theotokos opens the gates of Paradise to the righteous and allows them to enter. That is why we address her: ‘Save us, O Most Holy Theotokos.’ We do not address any other saint in this way, and we thank her for this great mercy, by which she has deemed us Georgians worthy to be her chosen people.

One of the signs of this, of course, is precisely the presence of this icon in a Georgian monastery. It is no coincidence that this great icon is commemorated on the third day after Easter, as one of the greatest shrines of Christianity. It can be said to be a Paschal icon—the most distinguished icon of the Mother of God.

Through this icon and the miracles associated with it, the Lord reminds us that He does not abandon His creation; He does not abandon Georgia. The Most Holy Theotokos constantly cares for us, prays to God for us, and intercedes on our behalf. As I said, the appearance of this icon is one of the confirmations of her protection and mercy; through this icon we receive help to overcome sins and save our souls. Once again, I congratulate you, dear brothers and sisters!”

He also spoke about Mother Language Day, noting the importance of preserving the native language.

“I would also like to remind you that today in our country we celebrate Mother Language Day—the Day of the Georgian language. Our language is ancient, beautiful, and extraordinarily great, one of the great treasures given by God. His Holiness has compared the Georgian language to divine, spiritual music coming from God, and its preservation has ensured the survival of our nation to this day. Therefore, dear brothers and sisters, we must take special care to preserve and protect our native and unique language.

May God bless and strengthen you!

May the Risen Savior, through the intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos, bless and strengthen you!

May our Risen Lord Jesus Christ grant the blessing, unity, salvation, and strengthening of Georgia, the preservation and survival of the Georgian language and the Georgian nation until His Second Coming. Amen!” said Metropolitan Shio.