There is a silence that says more than words... a silence that weighs heavily on the heart and brings memories to life. Today, it is in such silence that we remember our Patriarch, Ilia II, a man whose very existence was hope, and whose words were a source of comfort for the entire nation. There is a loss that words cannot contain... a pain that will live forever in the heart of every Georgian. It is difficult to speak of His Holiness in the past tense, of a man who united an entire nation through love. He was a person whose words always reached the human heart.
Our Patriarch was a spiritual father to all, who never abandoned his children and was always present where his people needed him most. He taught us patience and peace, and gave us faith that even in darkness there is light. His gaze radiated warmth, and his words conveyed wisdom that would be passed on from generation to generation.
Today, as we are forced to see the world without him, everything feels different, as if everything has lost its color. Even the sun shines differently, people seem different, and in everyone’s eyes you can see the sorrow and grief left behind by his passing. Yet, in those same eyes, there is also a sense of joy, the joy that Georgia has and will always have a heavenly protector and intercessor, who was, is, and will forever stand by the Georgian people.
As a student of the university that was founded in 2008 with his blessing, I feel an even deeper sense of sorrow and responsibility. When entering the university, every corridor and every classroom seems filled with his invisible warmth and love. His spiritual legacy is not only the past, it is a path that we, the younger generation, must follow. His words continue to live within us, in our thoughts and in our future. My heart is filled with both joy and responsibility, joy because I am a student of a university founded by His Holiness, and responsibility because it is the duty of each of us, as students, to preserve what our great Patriarch has left us.
I cannot help but recall my first encounter with His Holiness. I thank God that I was given the opportunity to see him in person. It was May 17, 2017, I was quite young then and could not fully comprehend what was happening to me. I attended the procession dedicated to the Day of Family Purity, dressed with the blessing of my spiritual father. When we arrived at the Holy Trinity Cathedral, our beloved Patriarch was there. My greatest wish was to enter the sanctuary and see him, even from afar. I prayed to God for that chance, and indeed, by God’s grace, I managed to pass through the crowd, entered the sanctuary, and saw His Holiness. I stopped, unable to move, it felt as if I had seen God, and I experienced an indescribable joy. I watched as clergy approached him, and suddenly, through the blessing of my revered Bishop, I too found myself before His Holiness. I made a deep bow and approached him. I do not know what happened to me, it felt as if my heart had stopped, I could hear nothing. I approached the Patriarch, he blessed me, I kissed his hand, and he gently touched my face. Everything seemed to stand still, my eyes filled with tears, and as soon as I left his presence, I wanted to tell everyone what I had experienced. At that time, I still could not fully understand before what a great man I had stood.
I thank God that I lived in the time of this epochal Patriarch, who rebuilt the Georgian Church and played a tremendous role in the awakening of the Georgian spirit. Today, when we remember his name, tears come involuntarily. Not only because we miss him, but because we remember what a great person we had. Every word, every teaching, every prayer now becomes even more valuable and precious. The sorrow is heavy, yet within it there is gratitude, gratitude for teaching us selfless love, unity, and faith.
Time passes, generations change, but such people never disappear. They remain in our memory, in our words, in our lives, and as long as we continue the path they left us, they will always be with us.
The Patriarch’s dream was to see a united nation, and so it came to pass. Through his departure, he united the Georgian people, and these days one phrase echoes across the entire country, “We love you, Patriarch”, “Thank you, Patriarch”, and yet... there is a silence that says everything. There is a sorrow stronger than words.
We love you, Patriarch! Thank you, Patriarch!
Luka Kiparoidze
SANGU Student
გააზიარე
