“FATHER GABRIELI”
Elder Gabriel (Urgebadze): His Life, Miracles, and
Service after his Death
Larisa Khrustalyeva
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Monk-Confessor Gabriel (Urgebadze)
Monk-Confessor Gabriel (Urgebadze)
Mtskheta: the ancient capital of Georgia. This small
town attracts tourists and pilgrims – and not without reason. The famous
Djvari, Zedazeni, Svetitskhoveli, and Samtavro monasteries are here. It is to
Samtavro Women’s Monastery that a torrent of suffering people flows in a
continuous stream. They come to the grave of Starets1 Gabriel (Urgebadze), who
was glorified in the choir of saints of the Georgian Church on December 20,
2012. This occurred an unbelievably short time after his repose—17 years later.
In 2006, the Mount Athos Publishing House
("Svyataya Gora") published a beautiful book entitled “The Elder’s
Diadem.” You don’t read this book, you devour it—it’s impossible to tear
yourself away from it. The starets was called “the great love of the twentieth
century.” He often wore a placard around his neck that said, “A man without
love is like a pitcher without a bottom.”
A Man Full of Love
Aliis inserviendo consumor.
(I am consumed in serving others.)
Latin proverb
The holy2 confessor Gabriel (Urgebadze) was born on
August 26, 1929. His name in the world was Goderdzi. For a long time, his
mother was against her son’s aspiration to monasticism, but towards the end of
her life she reconciled herself with his choice, and subsequently she herself
took the veil. She also was buried at Samtavro Monastery.
Goderdzi came to believe in God while he was still a
child. One time the neighbors were fighting, and one of them said, “You have
crucified me like Christ.” The boy began to wonder what “crucified” meant, and
Who Christ was. The adults sent the child off to the church, where the church
warden advised him to read the Gospel. He saved up his money, bought a Gospel,
and in a few years had learned the text practically by heart.
A longing for monasticism arose in him in his youth.
Later, the elder would say, “There is no greater heroism than monasticism.” And
he proved this by his whole life.
He took monastic vows when he was 26, receiving the
name of Gabriel, after St.3 Gabriel of Mt. Athos, the starets who had walked
through the water and brought to shore the Iveron Icon of the Mother of God,
which had floated to Athos over the sea. Fr. Gabriel especially revered the
wonderworking copy of the Iveron Icon kept at Samtavro Monastery.
Fr. Gabriel built a church with several cupolas in the
courtyard of his home on Tetri Tskaro Street in Tbilisi. He erected it with his
own hands and finished around 1962. Fr. Gabriel found the icons for this church
at the town dumps, where in those atheistic times people brought and threw out,
along with the trash, a large number of sacred objects. Sometimes he wandered
around the dumps days on end. He had a small studio where he cleaned the icons
and gave them frames and settings of various materials. The walls of his church
were covered with icons. He even framed photographs and pictures of icons from
secular magazines.
On May 1, 1965, during a demonstration, Hieromonk
Gabriel burned a 12-meter portrait of Lenin which hung on the building which housed
the Supreme Council of the Georgian SSR, and he began to preach about Christ to
the people who were gathered there. He was severely beaten for this and put
into a solitary confinement cell at the Georgian KGB. At the interrogation Fr.
Gabriel said that he did it because “it is forbidden to treat a man like God.
The Crucifixion of Christ ought to hang where the portrait of Lenin was. And
you need to write, “Glory to the Lord Jesus Christ.” In August 1965 Fr. Gabriel
was put into a psychiatric hospital for an examination. There he was diagnosed
as insane: “A psychopathic individual who believes in God and angels.” They
gave him a “white ticket.”4 But after that even more horrible things happened
to him. In order to please the authorities, the hierarchs of the Church did not
allow him to come into the church and did not let him into the services—they
drove him away. Batiushka5 did not have the possibility of receiving Holy
Communion, which he wanted with all his heart. He could go several days without
food, could go a long time without sleep, but he could not live without the
Church. And the starets often cried out of powerlessness, opening his soul to
his sisters.
Fr. Gabriel settled in Samtavro in the 1980’s, and in
the latter years he lived in a round tower. For a while, the nuns wondered at
Batiushka’s eccentricities, not seeing in them as yet any special podvig6. At
first it seemed strange to them that for some time he lived in the hen house,
where there were large chinks in the walls, and that in the winter he went
barefoot…. The elder’s behavior didn’t fit into any kind of framework and
didn’t correspond to any human conceptions. But later they began to feel that
extraordinary love radiated from him: he loved everyone. The starets would
often shout at the sisters, demand obedience of them, make them do something,
or make them eat from dirty plates. But it was impossible to take offense at
him—in his eyes shone tender love.
Before Mother Theodora became Abbess, Fr. Gabriel
brought her with him to Tbilisi and made her go begging. The two of them would
beg for alms, but then the elder would distribute everything to the poor. If
they took a taxi back, he might shout at the taxi driver and give him no money
at all, or he might pay many times more than he owed.
During Holy Week the sound of continuous weeping could
be heard coming from his cell. While he was praying, some people saw him rise
15–20 inches off the ground and saw light coming from him. The faithful revered
Fr. Gabriel as a great ascetic and they would come to him as to a living saint.
When the starets would receive a large number of guests, he would always see to
it that “the professor”—that is what he call red wine—was on the table. He
would generously treat his guests, while he himself ate almost nothing. Father
used to say that you have to be nourished with Divine love, and not just on
food.
Otar Nikolaishvili was Batiushka's spiritual child and
often spent time in his cell. Once Fr. Gabriel unexpectedly said to him that
they had to go right then and there to the Monastery of St. Anthony
Martkopsky—that it was urgent. Otar didn't know what to say: his car wasn't
working right, he was having problems with it. Batiushka insisted, and somehow
they started out. Then the road began to go up a mountain, and the automobile
began to cough and sputter, but the starets suddenly said, "Don't worry,
son—St. Anthony Martkopsky himself is sitting in the back seat—but don't you
turn around." And the car suddenly tore off ahead so fast that the driver
had to step on the brakes. As soon as they drove in through the monastery
gates, the engine cut out on the spot. Just at that time, several armed people
came in there looking for trouble. The starets stepped out in front and said,
"Shoot me." This embarrassed and sobered the bandits, and they left
the monastery.
According to the elder's will, his body was wrapped in
a mat and given over to the earth in the place where St. Nina had labored. Fr.
Gabriel died on November 2, 1995 of edema. He suffered terribly from the pains,
but never showed it.
A countless number of healings began to occur at his
grave after his death. All Georgia deeply venerates the elder.
The Samtavro-Transfiguration Church and the Monastery
of St. Nina have a website called Starets Gabriel—Confessor of Christ, which is
dedicated to Archimandrite Gabriel. Many well-known people have left their
comments about him; among them are:
Mother Superior Georgia of the Gorny Convent in
Jerusalem: “You have a true starets. You are in Paradise…” and
Schema-Archimandrite Vitaly (Sidorenko): “Monk Gabriel
is the greatest monk.”
From the Sayings of the Elder
Whoever learns to love will be happy. Only do not
think that love is an inborn talent. One can learn love, and we must.
Without sacrifice for the sake of the Lord and of our
neighbor nothing will come of the spiritual life. You won’t learn to love
without sacrifice.
God will not accept empty words. God loves deeds. Good
deeds are what love is.
Live so that not only God would love you, but also so
that people would love you—there is no greater thing than this.
Last Testament of Archimandrite Gabriel
Glory to Christ God!
I beg the forgiveness and blessing of His All-Holiness
and All-Blessedness, the Catholicos-Patriarch of all Georgia Elias II. I leave
my blessing, forgiveness and reconciliation to all the priestly and monastic
order. God is Love, but although I have tried hard, I have not been able to
attain love for God and neighbor according to the Lord’s commandments. All
man’s acquisition of the Kingdom of Heaven in this visible world and the
inheritance of Eternity (Eternal Life) consists of love. Bury me without a
coffin, in my mantia. Be kind and humble; the Lord remembered us in our
humility, for He gives grace to the humble.
Be humble, kind, and loving before every man born into
this world by God. I carry away with me love for everyone—both for Orthodox
people, and for every man born into this world by God. The purpose of life and
of this whole visible world is the acquisition of the Kingdom of God, drawing
near to God and inheriting Eternal Life. I wish all of you this. I leave you
with my blessing, that no one lose the great mercy of God, and that all of you
be vouchsafed the acquisition of the Kingdom. There is no man living who will
not sin. I alone am a great sinner, unworthy in every way, and extremely weak.
I beseech you from all my love: when you pass by my grave, beg forgiveness for
me, a sinner. Dust I was, and to dust I have returned.
Prayer of Elder Gabriel
O Lord, I entreat Thee, hear us from Heaven, look with
favor upon us, grant us Thy mercy, let us depart in peace, that we may walk in
Thy way, fulfill Thy commandments, and renounce sin. Teach us, O Lord, to pray
before Thee and to keep Thy holy law, so that our hearts would become devoted
to Thee, and grant that we all would live according to Thy holy law.
***
At Elder Gabriel’s grave
A grey-green marble tombstone with a cross on top, and
a flowerbed. Lots of small icons. An ever-burning lampada. Little bottles with
oil. From time to time a young man or young woman takes small bottles of oil
from the hands of those who have come up to the grave and tops them off with
oil from the lampada, carefully wiping the spilled drops.
Fr. David serves at the grave
Fr. David serves at the grave
Over the grave there is a large canopy, which protects
people from the heat in the summer and from the rain in bad weather. Dry, black
grains of earth are sprinkled onto the flowerbed; every once in a while they
add some more. Two little benches, a light tent—that is where you will always
find nun Paraskeva, who was close to the elder and was his cell attendant. She
keeps a test tube with his incorrupt blood in it and “anoints” with the sign of
the Cross those who come there: pilgrims, tourists, acquaintances and
strangers. Many people greet her, and some talk with her for a long time.
There is always a crowd of people at the elder’s
grave. On weekends and holidays there is an especially large number. I sat down
on a bench and took care of the pilgrims. Everyone’s face was prayerful and
attentive. Almost everyone knelt, took off their crosses and rings and put them
on the earth. They put the palms of their hands on the grave and knelt there
and prayed like that for a long time. They brought babies, and some of them set
them down right on the grave for a while. There was a surprisingly large number
of young men.
Coming to the starets at his grave every day, I
noticed that you could feel a special grace and tranquility. You don’t think
about anything, nothing comes to your mind, you don’t worry about anything.
There is extraordinary peace in your soul. Georgians call the starets “Mama
Gabriel,”7 and I, too, got used to this right away. I cannot explain why I
would spend hours on end at the grave. I would often happen to associate with
the vivacious and loud-voiced priest who served in Svetitskhoveli, Archpriest
David. He jovially greeted all— tourists and pilgrims, acquaintances and
strangers. To all Russians he would say, “Welcome! We here in Georgia love you
very much and always look forward to seeing you. Come visit us!” Sometimes he
would baptize someone, sometimes he would perform a wedding, sometimes he would
sell candles at the church bookstore. Catching sight of me, he would ask,
“Well, what are your plans? What else have you seen, where have you been?”
Once I asked him if he had known Elder Gabriel. Why,
of course, he had known him, and known him very well. He asked me if I knew
about the miracle that happened several years after Batiushka’s death—about the
test tube with his blood. I didn’t? And he told me the following story:
During the last weeks of his life the elder had
serious health problems. He had edema and trouble with his stomach. A doctor
came to Samtavro to him, an excellent surgeon, Zurab Georgievich Varazi.
Several days before Fr. Gabriel’s death the doctor decided to take some of his blood
for testing. At first Fr. Gabriel refused, but when the doctor said that God
would punish him if he didn’t start to treat his patient properly, Fr. Gabriel
agreed.
He put 10 ml of blood into an ordinary test tube. A
colleague of Zurab Georgievich’s got into his car and set off for Tbilisi. On
the way the test tube slipped out of his hands, fell, and came uncorked. The
blood spilled out and all that remained was 2 ml. In the laboratory they
reassured him that 2 ml was plenty, and they did the tests.
The next day Fr. Gabriel got worse—an operation was
necessary. But the elder categorically refused. In the evening he died.
A few years later the doctor’s colleague called him
and said that he had accidentally found the test tube with the blood they had
taken from Fr. Gabriel four years ago, which had been lost when the laboratory
was being renovated. And this blood was like fresh blood! Zurab Georgievich
couldn’t believe it, so his colleague travelled there to him. Indeed, the blood
had not coagulated, dried up, or decomposed. The doctor took one drop with a
syringe, did a smear, and brought it to the laboratory. The test showed that
everything was normal!
They themselves did not know what they had come
across. The doctor travelled to the Patriarch and told him that they had taken
blood from Fr. Gabriel four years ago, but that it was still as fresh as if it
had been taken yesterday. Wasn’t this a miracle? His Holiness advised them to
give this blood over to the earth where Fr. Gabriel reposes. They buried this
test tube in the elder’s grave at Samtavro Monastery. Miracles had already
begun to occur there, and people who had come from all corners of Georgia took
the healing oil and earth back with them. They were constantly unearthing the
grave, so Matushka Parasceva, who tended it, took the test tube out of the
earth. And now she anoints all the people who come to the grave with it. Or
rather, not anoints, but makes the sign of the Cross over them, to be more
exact.
Newlyweds take a blessing
Newlyweds take a blessing
One sunny day there weren’t very many people at the
grave. Sitting in the shade on the bench under the grape vines that had spread
out, I read the Gospel and the Psalter, and took care of the people who came.
I noticed a man who led a rather chubby and somewhat
agitated teenager by the hand. The father explained something to his son
softly—as if he were trying to persuade him. They came up to the grave and the
father tried to get the son to kneel down, but the son suddenly became
obstinate, started to balk, and suddenly started to rock and shift from foot to
foot—back and forth, back and forth. His movements were getting faster and
faster, more and more abrupt. Then Mother Parasceva appeared just in time, and
getting out the test tube with the elder’s blood, made the sign of the Cross
over the youth’s head with a quick, deft motion. Then something strange
happened: the boy let out loud noises, like a horse’s neighing, and took to his
heels, but exactly like a horse—at a gallop. The father rushed after him. They
reappeared about fifteen minutes later, and the whole scenario was repeated.
Then again and again—only each time, the boy approached more and more
unwillingly: some kind of force would not let him come near.
***
After repeated visits to the elder’s grave, amazing
incidents began to happen with me. I would say that Mama Gabrieli took me under
his protection and began actively to help and look after me. There were very
many incidences that convinced me of this. I will relate a few of them:
When I was about to travel to Georgia the second time,
my confessor asked me to bring him back a hand-painted icon of Mama Gabrieli. I
tried to come to an agreement with Samtavro Monastery, but they refused me:
they did not paint icons for private parties. I walked through the shops of
Tbilisi—I didn’t like a single icon of him. I began to pray at his grave. And
suddenly a young man came out of the tent and asked, “Who here is from Russia?
Drop in—Batiushka invites you.”
Surprised, I stepped in. Inside the tent all the walls
were covered with icons. My heart skipped a beat. I looked around, and there
were Mother Paraskeva, a little old nun on a narrow cot-bed, and—Archpriest
David, smiling. He handed me a little bottle of oil and a paper icon of the
starets, which was quite large. Only glancing at it, I realized at once that it
was precisely this image that would suit my batiushka. Yes… but where could I
find an iconographer? I knelt before the grave and asked the elder to help.
The next day in the Kashveti Church I became
acquainted with Archpriest Elizbar Otiashvili. During our conversation he
introduced me to a young woman by the name of Medea, the mother of four
children.
“By the way, she paints icons,” he said.
Thus Medea Davitadze painted a marvellous icon of the
elder. I had already gone to Moscow, and the both of us were wondering how to
transport it. Suddenly I got a call from a Georgian acquaintance of mine by the
name of Mirian, who said that his nephew was flying to Moscow from Tbilisi and
would bring the icon. The icon turned out to be striking: the starets, smiling,
with a diadem on his head, while on the back was the tropar in Georgian.
Batiushka was happy.
The following summer I set off again for Georgia, this
time for two months. I arrived in Tbilisi in the second half of the day and I
was a little sad that I wouldn’t get to Mtsketa to venerate the elder. To my
amazement, my friends said that they were going to Samtavro in the evening to
agree on a time for their wedding—and I could come with them! Thus Mama
Gabrieli took care of me. We walked in a procession of the Cross with the nuns
around the monastery grounds, prayed at the grave, and had a moleben served in
the church.
I never part with my little icon of the elder. Living
in Borzhomi, I heard a conversation between two women, one of whom mentioned
Mama Gabrieli. I couldn’t stand it any longer, and butted in to the
conversation:
“What about Mama Gabrieli?”
They explained to me that Mama Gabrieli’s jacket was in
one of the churches.
I found out the address and set off for this church
right away. It was in the Monastery of the Nativity of the Most Holy Mother of
God. There was nobody in the church except one nun, who helped me put on the
jacket. From the left pocket hung a little silver cross on a chain. When I took
off the jacket I saw that a line had already formed in the church. Then a
moleben began, and after it I asked a blessing of Batiushka to stay in the
monastery for a few days. During these days a great number of unbelievable
things happened to me. But the most amazing thing was the fact that this
jacket, which Elder Gabriel wore under his monastic mantia, was completely
available to us after all the visitors left. Every morning I had the
opportunity to drop into the church while the monastery gates were still
closed, put on the jacket of the recently-canonized saint, and read my morning
prayers. And in the evening, while we were gathered in the reception room near
the refectory, eating up the latest cake that the thoughtful parish ladies had
brought in, the sisters took turns sitting at the table with this jacket thrown
over their shoulders. From time to time a voice was heard:
“Look, you’ve already worn it—give it to me now.”
At Samtavro Monastery some people have told stories of
miracles, and of Elder Gabriel’s help. I will cite a few instances of healings
from a book I bought at the Monastery entitled Miracles and Healings Given by
God, by Otar Nikolaishvili:
*
"A car ran over the neighbor's child. His skull
was broken. The child was doomed to death, the operation lasted four hours.
After the operation his face and tongue swelled up. After being anointed with
oil from Fr. Gabriel the swelling went down and the child began to come to
life. Now they have already discharged him from the hospital, and he feels
fine.”
Daria,
Nutsubidze Plateau, Microregion V, Corpus 8, Tbilisi
"
*
"Last March I was diagnosed with tumors on the
breast and internal organs. Almost all of the oncologists insisted on an
operation. I went to Fr. Gabriel's grave in order to make a decision.
Afterwards I had the following vision: Fr. Gabriel was standing there and
smiling at me. I was filled with faith and refused the operation. All the while
I kept going to the grave and receiving treatment with the oil. Two months ago
I had an examination; nothing resembling a tumor was found in my system, while
the doctors had given me all of two weeks to live if I didn't have the
operation.”
Lela Tsirekidze,
Tbilisi Electric Train Works Development, Block 1,
Corpus 23, Tbilisi "
*
"They found I had a fibroma and a myoma. I needed
to have an operation. Because of my illness I would be unable to speak from
time to time. A relative of mine brought me some of Fr. Gabriel's oil. I
anointed myself with it twice and felt relief. When I was about to anoint
myself with it a third time, I felt that I was losing my speech again. I said
to myself, 'It doesn't help'—and that evening I went to bed without anointing myself
with the oil. The same night I had a dream. A priest with a large beard came to
me at home and said, ‘Here you are lamenting, “It doesn’t help, it doesn’t
help”—but what can help you, if you haven’t prayed? Pray, and you will see
whether it helps or not. Look at me. I am a priest, and I have a beard. Would I
have a beard unless I were a priest? You say that you believe, but you don’t
pray—what kind of faith is that? Pray, and you will have help.’
I woke up. I began to anoint myself with the oil, and
while doing this I prayed. Yesterday they did an ultrasound and didn’t find a
thing. The doctor nearly went crazy out of amazement.”
Pelagea Tamarashvili,
Village of Saguramo”
*
“In the third month of my pregnancy they did an
ultrasound. One could see that a cystic mass had formed in the area of the
baby’s stomach. The case was so involved that the doctors strongly advised me
to have an abortion. I refused. I began to go to Fr. Gabriel’s grave and to
take the oil as treatment. The child was born absolutely healthy. The medical
staff was amazed.”
Mariam Kvitsiani,
11 Javakhetskaya St., Apt. 21, Varketili, Tbilisi”
*
“I had psoriasis—a skin disease. Sores covered my
whole body. I couldn’t lie on my back. A neighbor gave me some of Fr. Gabriel’s
oil in a little penicillin vial. After the fourth time I anointed myself the
disease went away and my skin cleared up.”
Makvala Davitashvili,
Tbilisi Electric Train Works Development, Block IV,
Apt. 8, Tbilisi”
*
“Glory and thanksgiving to the Lord for all things!
The Lord has given Fr. Gabriel to us sinners! I suffered for several years from
cirrhosis in its most serious form. On November 4, 2004, I visited Fr.
Gabriel’s grave. I anointed myself, knelt, and asked his blessing, so that I
could be treated in the hospital, because they wouldn’t admit me there. When I
returned from the grave, everything worked out so easily that you could call it
a miracle. They admitted me to the hospital, did an ultrasound, and found that
there was no longer any cirrhosis.”
Suliko Gvinjilia,
Senaki”
*
“A young woman had a first-stage tumor on her cervix.
They were supposed to do an operation in a month. During the course of the
month, she used oil from Fr. Gabriel’s grave, and when she went into the
hospital for the operation, it turned out that there was no longer any tumor.
It is a real miracle.”
Nana Siradze,
Village of Nemokmedi, Ozurets Region”
*
“I have been going to Fr. Gabriel’s grave since 1997.
I came there with firm faith and with a heavy heart that I had not known him
during his lifetime. As I went to the grave, radical changes began to occur in
my life; visiting Fr. Gabriel’s grave in itself is a miracle. He fulfills all
petitions. My mother suffered from a second menopause in old age. I began to
give her the oil to drink, and she got well. My mother was not yet a believer.
Now she has converted to Christianity. I consider this to be a consequence of
taking the oil, and I am grateful to Fr. Gabriel.”
Izo Beridze,
Parishioner of Anchiskhati Church,
Dili Ditomi, Microregion III, Corpus 14, Apt. 73,
Tbilisi”
*
“Oil from Fr. Gabriel’s grave and prayers offered to
the Lord on Fr. Gabriel’s grave can accomplish everything: not only can they
heal the sick, but also give reconciliation, unite a long split-up family, and
draw everyone together by means of grace-filled love. My sister and I and our
close family were on bad terms for years, and the prayers of Fr. Gabriel helped
us to be reconciled. Now our relations are so good that you might wish them for
anyone’s family.”
Natela Ebanoudze,
Parishioner of Kashueti Church”
*
Nino in Mama Gabrieli's jacket
Nino in Mama Gabrieli's jacket
“During the course of a whole year I was tormented by
an allergy—I had a rash. I was treated, but without success. With the help of a
girlfriend I travelled to Fr. Gabriel’s grave. There was a downpour, but Mother
Parasceva came out to us, gave us some oil, and explained to us how to use it.
I was anointed with oil and drank some of it. In two weeks I went there again
with my husband and friends and got some more oil. After a week I noticed that
the rash had completely disappeared and that I had been cured of the allergy.”
Nino Pirosmanishvili,
10 Michurin St., Tbilisi
*
“When I anoint myself with Fr. Gabriel’s oil, any pain
vanishes. When I returned from the sea, my big toe hurt. Nothing helped except
Fr. Gabriel’s oil. My 12-year-old son suffered from stomachaches. I gave him
some of Fr. Gabriel’s oil, made the sign of the Cross on his forehead with it,
and everything passed. When some problem or other worries me, I sit by his
photograph and ask for help. I am a widow, and you can imagine how many
problems I have. Thank you very much for everything that you do for me, Fr.
Gabriel!”
Marina Machavariani,
31 Paliashvili St, Tbilisi.”
*
“I suffered from total bone marrow fibrosis. A year and
a half ago the doctors lost all hope of saving me. A yellow liquid was coming
out of my bones. I was left to God’s will. I prayed, anointed myself with Fr.
Gabriel’s oil, and drank the oil. Three months later results showed. Now I am
completely healthy. What is more, I had grey eyebrows and hair. After taking
the oil my eyebrows became black, and my hair— dark with grey streaks.”
Vano Tsilikashvili,
Varketili Massive, II Microregion, Corpus VI”
*
“A friend of mine had several miscarriages. A
delegation from Greece was on a visit to Georgia. One of the guests, a Greek
priest, said to her, ‘You have a holy place in Georgia,’ and told her to go to
Fr. Gabriel’s grave, and that’s what she did. Some time passed, and she became
pregnant.”
Maia Koublashvili,
10 Kandelaki St., Tbilisi”
*
“For three years I could not I could not bear a child;
all treatment methods were ineffective. I went to Fr. Gabriel’s grave during
the Great Fast and asked him to be my intercessor before the Lord. There were a
multitude of people at the grave, but Mother Parasceva somehow noticed me and
anointed my forehead with oil. I took some oil with me and anointed my forehead
with it every day, according to instructions. That month I became pregnant.”
From the words of Maia Koublashvili”
From Letters of Prisoners
“Prisoners who have been healed by Fr. Gabriel’s oil
are converting to Christ! Thank you, Lord, for everything!
“At the present time I am a prisoner serving my
sentence in the Ksanskaya Colony, in Zone 7. A church to St. Nicholas, where we
pray, has been built in our zone. They allocated a cell for me personally by
the church, and I serve there. You know what a difficult time it is now. Even
for people who are free it is hard to subsist, to provide oneself with medical
care, and to resolve other problems; all this is doubly hard for prisoners. Fr.
Gabriel has proved to be a great comfort for us at such a time. His
wonderworking oil has healed more than one prisoner, and the number of those
who have been healed is growing all the time. Fr. Gabriel allowed me to see his
wonderworking power more than once. A woman with a 10-month-old son turned up
in our zone for a meeting with her husband earlier than planned. The child had
fallen severely ill and had a very high temperature. The doctors couldn’t
understand what the matter was with the child. They sent for me, and I took
some of Fr. Gabriel’s oil with me. When I arrived, the baby, who had up to this
time been weakened by the illness, reached out to me. I put some drops of oil
on his pinky and made the sign of the Cross on his forehead with the oil. The
boy licked his little finger that had the oil on it and soon fell asleep. He
woke up completely well. There are many eyewitnesses to this among the
prisoners. After that incident, if someone gets sick, they always call me and
ask me to anoint them with oil from the lampada on Fr. Gabriel’s grave. In
December of 2002 I was dreaming of getting a large picture of Fr. Gabriel. When
I woke up in the morning I went to the morning inspection, which I go to very
rarely. Suddenly a prison worker motioned to me to come up to him and said that
his brother-in-law had sent me a picture of Fr. Gabriel and a calendar. I
rendered thanks to the Lord and put up the picture of Fr. Gabriel and the
calendar in my cell. In the evening I went to bed. During the day I had been
very tired, and I wanted to sleep, but I couldn’t fall asleep at all. In about
10 or 15 minutes I felt that some kind of force was telling me to go out into
the yard. I went out and saw my friend standing there, spitting blood. He had
become ill. I took him to his cell and asked him to pray with me. He was so bad
that he couldn’t even say a prayer. I lit a candle, read the Our Father, and
anointed him with the oil, then gave him some oil to drink. After four minutes
the pain disappeared and he asked for some tea. He is very grateful to Fr.
Gabriel. My wife is a Group II invalid, she has curvature of the spine
(scoliosis). In addition to that, she had a large lump right on her spine,
which hurt badly; she would lose consciousness from only a touch to this lump.
Not taking any other medicine, she was anointed by me twice with Fr. Gabriel’s
oil, and she drank some of it. Her spine no longer hurts. We give many thanks
to the Lord, and we are grateful to Fr. Gabriel for his help.”
Prisoner Vasiliy Narindoshvili”
*
“In 1994-1995, as a result of beatings, my left
eardrum was ruptured, and blood and pus were always running out of it. I lost
my hearing. I learned that oil from the lampada on Fr. Gabriel’s grave
miraculously heals the sick. I anointed my ear two times in all, and a miracle
occurred. All pain went away, and my hearing returned (80-90%). I had a sore
throat. I took Streptocid (sulfanilamide), but without results. As soon as I
drank the oil, the pain went away in five minutes. Thank the Lord! I am
grateful to Fr. Gabriel for his help.”
Prisoner Guram Managadze”
*
“I had stomach ulcers, I was often bothered by intense
pain. On January 2nd of this year I was really suffering from the pain and was
looking for some baking soda to take. The guys helped me to read the Our Father
and then made the sign of the Cross on me with Fr. Gabriel’s oil, and let me
drink this oil a little. The pain immediately abated. Now I don’t suffer from
stomach pains, no matter what kind of food I eat.”
Prisoner Artur Soukasyan”
*
“My foot was festering, two of my toes were rotting,
and nothing was helping. I went to Vasiliy and asked him to anoint me with Fr.
Gabriel’s oil. He anointed me with the oil, and in addition sprinkled my foot
with earth from Fr. Gabriel’s grave and bandaged it up. The next morning I took
off the bandage and saw a miracle: my foot was completely healthy. I am very
thankful to Fr. Gabriel.”
Prisoner David Chitaya”
O Holy Monk-Confessor Gabriel, pray unto God for us!
Larisa Khrustalyeva
Translation by Dimitra Dwelley
19 / 11 / 2013
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