Tbilisi, May 16, 2024
Photo: sazu.ge The beloved Patriarch of Georgia issued a statement on Sunday, calling on the Georgian people to intensify their prayers to the Holy Trinity for peace in their country.
Thousands of people have been filling the streets of Tbilisi since mid-April, protesting against the so-called “foreign agents” law that requires any organization, such as media outlets, that receives more than 20% of its funding from abroad to register as a foreign agent.
Despite the protests, which have been met with violence at times, Parliament passed the law in its third reading on Tuesday. It will likely be vetoed by the president, though that can be overruled by a simple majority vote in Parliament.
While other nations, such as the United States, have analogous foreign agent laws, many in Georgia are protesting what the media characterizes as a “Russian” law.
Against this background, His Holiness Catholicos-Patriarch Ilia is calling on the people to remember the Three Youths in the fiery furnace and to offer fervent prayers to God. His statement, published on Sunday, reads:
I would like to ask that from today we strengthen our prayers for Georgia even more.
Currently, our country is going through one of the most challenging phases of its development. We all desire peace, but it is often difficult to achieve because we do not act correctly, we do not turn to or trust in Him Who is the source and origin of peace—the Most Holy Trinity.
I would like to remind you of the true God-glorifying prayer of the three youths: Ananias, Azarias, and Misael, who were thrown into a blazing furnace by King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon as punishment, so much so that even those close to the furnace were burned by the flames, yet they remained completely unharmed because the Lord’s angel was with them, and the heat of the fire could not harm them.
Let us ask the Almighty and All-Powerful God, that just as He saved Ananias, Azarias, and Misael from the greatest ordeal, He may also save Georgia and bless us with peace and unity.
He then quotes the prayer of the Three Holy Youths, entreating the Georgian people to pray it every day for the safety and future of the country:
Daniel 3:52 Blessed art Thou, O Lord God of our fathers: and to be praised and exalted above all for ever. And blessed is Thy glorious and holy name: and to be praised and exalted above all for ever. 53 Blessed art Thou in the temple of Thy holy glory: and to be praised and glorified above all for ever. 54 Blessed art Thou that beholdest the depths, and sittest upon the cherubim: and to be praised and exalted above all for ever. 55 Blessed art Thou on the glorious throne of Thy Kingdom: and to be praised and glorified above all for ever. 56 Blessed art Thou in the firmament of heaven: and above all to be praised and glorified for ever. 57 O all ye works of the Lord, bless ye the Lord: praise and exalt Him above all for ever. 58 O ye heavens, bless ye the Lord: praise and exalt Him above all for ever. 59 O ye angels of the Lord, bless ye the Lord: praise and exalt Him above all for ever. 60 O all ye waters that be above the heaven, bless ye the Lord: praise and exalt Him above all for ever. 61 O all ye powers of the Lord, bless ye the Lord: praise and exalt Him above all for ever. 62 O ye sun and moon, bless ye the Lord: praise and exalt Him above all for ever. 63 O ye stars of heaven, bless ye the Lord: praise and exalt Him above all for ever. 64 O every shower and dew, bless ye the Lord: praise and exalt him above all for ever. 65 O all ye winds, bless ye the Lord: praise and exalt Him above all for ever. 66 O ye fire and heat, bless ye the Lord: praise and exalt Him above all for ever. 71 O ye nights and days, bless ye the Lord: praise and exalt Him above all for ever. 72 O ye light and darkness, bless ye the Lord: praise and exalt Him above all for ever. 72a O ye frost and heat, bless ye the Lord: praise and exalt Him above all for ever. 72b O ye frost and snow, bless ye the Lord: praise and exalt Him above all for ever. 73 O ye lightnings and clouds, bless ye the Lord: praise and exalt Him above all for ever. 74 O let the earth bless the Lord: praise and exalt Him above all for ever. 75 O ye mountains and little hills, bless ye the Lord: praise and exalt Him above all for ever. 76 O all ye things that grow on the earth, bless ye the Lord: praise and exalt Him above all for ever. 77 O ye seas and rivers, bless ye the Lord: praise and exalt Him above all for ever. 78 O ye fountains, bless ye the Lord: praise and exalt Him above all for ever. 79 O ye whales, and all that move in the waters, bless ye the Lord: praise and exalt Him above all for ever. 80 O all ye fowls of the air, bless ye the Lord: praise and exalt Him above all for ever. 81 O all ye beasts and cattle, bless ye the Lord: praise and exalt Him above all for ever. 82 O ye children of men, bless ye the Lord: praise and exalt Him above all for ever. 83 O Israel, bless ye the Lord: praise and exalt Him above all for ever. 84 O ye priests of the Lord, bless ye the Lord: praise and exalt Him above all for ever. 85 O ye servants of the Lord, bless ye the Lord: praise and exalt Him above all for ever. 86 O ye spirits and souls of the righteous, bless ye the Lord: praise and exalt Him above all for ever. 87 O ye holy and humble men of heart, bless ye the Lord: praise and exalt Him above all for ever. 88 O Ananias, Azarias, and Misael, bless ye the Lord; praise and exalt Him above all for ever: for He hath delivered us from hell, and saved us from the hand of death, and delivered us out of the midst of the furnace and burning flame: even out of the midst of the fire hath He delivered us. 89 O give thanks unto the Lord, because He is gracious: for His mercy endureth for ever. 90 O all ye that worship the Lord, bless the God of gods, praise Him and give Him thanks: for his mercy endureth for ever.
Follow OrthoChristian on Twitter, Vkontakte, Telegram, WhatsApp, MeWe, and Gab!
