Catholicos-Patriarch Shio III of All Georgia called on the faithful to understand the Feast of the Transfiguration as a call to personal spiritual transformation, beginning with their relationships with others.
In his homily for the feast on August 19, 2026, the Georgian Patriarch stressed that Christian transformation means becoming better according to God’s will through repentance, patience, humility, love and service to others.
Transfiguration begins with our neighbor
Reflecting on how spiritual transformation can become a reality in everyday life, Patriarch Shio said that the first step should be improving one’s relationship with one’s neighbor.
“We must begin our transfiguration with our neighbor, by improving our relationship with them. We must try to become more patient,” he said.
The Patriarch urged the faithful to refrain from speaking badly about others or responding with vengeance and instead to serve and assist those around them, particularly people experiencing illness or other hardships.
If Christians persevere in this effort, he said, God’s grace can gradually transform their character. A lazy person can become diligent, a sorrowful person joyful, a proud person humble, a greedy person generous, and an angry person compassionate and loving.
Such transformation, he added, also affects families and communities because those around a person striving to live spiritually encounter love, patience, kindness and a willingness to help.
“Words can also kill”
Patriarch Shio warned particularly against condemnation and harmful speech, recalling Christ’s warning that people may wrongly believe they are serving God even while committing evil.
“One form of killing, as we know, is killing with words. A person can also be killed with words,” he said, noting that people sometimes attack one another verbally while believing that they are doing something good.
A life dominated by judgment, anger and dissatisfaction ultimately becomes, he said, “a real hell,” from which Christ seeks to liberate humanity through the path of spiritual transformation.
Called to share in the light of Tabor
Referring to Christ’s Transfiguration on Mount Tabor, Patriarch Shio said Christians are called to become participants in the divine light revealed to the Apostles.
He recalled the teaching frequently emphasized by the late Catholicos-Patriarch Ilia II that a person cannot remain stationary in spiritual life: one either advances and develops or moves backward.
The Patriarch therefore described transfiguration as the work of an entire lifetime and invited believers to consider what fruit the gift of faith has produced in their lives.
A significant day in Georgian Christian history
Patriarch Shio also recalled the particular historical significance of the feast for Georgia. According to the Life of St. Nino, The Georgian Chronicles and other historical sources, it was on this day that the principal pagan idols of Kartli were destroyed following the prayers of St. Nino, marking a symbolic beginning of the decline of paganism and the spread of Christianity throughout Georgia.
Concluding his homily at Samtavro Convent, Patriarch Shio blessed the people of Georgia and prayed for the spiritual transformation and strengthening of the country in Christ.
“Let us beseech the Lord that the light of Christ, love, joy and peace may dwell in our hearts,” he said.
Electronic version prepared by: Anzor Chikobava and Tamar Asatiani, Photo: Nino Sozashvili
