Shio III: Faith in Lord is key that opens treasury of divine blessings

Faith in the Lord is the key that opens the great treasury of God’s blessings, Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia Shio III said during his Sunday sermon.

Addressing the faithful, the Patriarch reflected on the spiritual significance of God’s blessing and the power of faith, drawing on the Gospel account of Jesus Christ’s miraculous feeding of the five thousand.

He said the miracle demonstrated that God can multiply even the smallest offering and that believers should never lose hope because of their limited abilities or resources.

“The Church has always taught us the importance of God’s blessing in our spiritual life. Where God’s blessing is present, there is goodness and success. Where it is absent, people may labor according to their own will, yet either fail to achieve proper success or see their efforts come to nothing,” Shio III said.

The Patriarch stressed that faith provides believers with a constant source of strength and support.

“Through faith, we possess a power and a foundation that will always help us. The Lord can multiply our modest abilities and our humble offering, just as He multiplied the five loaves and two fish,” he said.

Recalling Christ’s words, “According to your faith let it be done to you,” the Patriarch said the measure of God’s grace corresponds to the strength of one’s faith.

“Faith in the Lord in our hearts is the key that opens for us the great treasury of divine blessings. We must always remember this,” he said.

Shio III also called on believers to pray for stronger faith, recalling the apostles’ plea to Christ: “Increase our faith.”

He concluded his sermon by asking God to strengthen the faithful through His grace and the prayers of the Archangel Gabriel and all the heavenly hosts, so that they may become sincere and true Christians.