Xenia was walking down the street in Kursk, with tears pouring down her face. She hugged her three-year-old son, who looked sadly at his weeping mother and was silent. He was mute from birth.
Photo: Freepik.com
That day Xenia had once again heard discouraging words from the doctor:
“Unfortunately, we can’t help you in any way. His hearing is good, but whether the child will begin to speak, we don’t know.”
The fact is that Xenia’s son Alyosha1 could not speak; he even cried very quietly, without any voice. To what luminaries of modern pediatrics Xenia had not taken her son! And she heard the doctors’ disappointing responses again and again, although they made numerous attempts “wake up” the speech center of the child’s brain with various techniques and exercises.
It started drizzling. Xenia carefully slipped a raincoat on the child and said:
“Let’s go home, Alyosha. The bus to our town leaves in an hour. Are you tired, my darling? Be patient, we’ll be home soon.”
Alyosha smiled and embraced his mother. His blue eyes shone with kindness and trustfulness.
On the same day, Xenia learned that an icon of the Venerable Confessor Gabriel (Urgebadze) of Samtavro had been brought to their town. Xenia had once read about this saint. She remembered the fact that as a child, the future saint heard his neighbors quarreling, and one of them said to the other, “You’ve crucified me like Christ!” The boy started wondering what “to be crucified” meant, and Who Christ was. On the advice of the grown-ups the child ran to the church, where he was advised to read the Holy Scriptures. Having saved up some money, he bought a Gospel and virtually learned it by heart. And already in his young years he said that “there is no greater heroism than monasticism”. Xenia also remembered that the future saint’s mother took monastic vows as well.
Xenia decided to go to church with Alyosha and the two older children that same evening.
“Where are we heading in such a hurry?” her five-year-old daughter Olenka2 asked Xenia.
“To church, my precious daughter. It is a great joy that an icon of St. Gabriel has been brought to our small town.”
“Is he an ancient saint?” seven–year-old Petya3 wondered.
“No, my dear son, he lived on earth quite recently—he is a saint of our days. And now he is in the Heavenly Kingdom, praying for all of us and helping people. Father Gabriel is very kind. He loves us so much!”
Thus, from their mother’s story about the life of the saint, the children most of all remembered the episode about how during prayer, St. Gabriel would rise forty to fifty centimeters above the ground and radiate light, and also how he would distribute everything he had to the poor, could easily go without food, not sleep for a long time, but could not imagine his life without Holy Communion.
The older children, Petya and Olenka, vied with each other to ask their mother various questions from the Life of the saint. Only the youngest son, Alyosha, was silent, smiling at his mother and siblings quietly.
Xenia and her children reached the church in fifteen minutes. There was a line of worshippers in front of the church who looked forward to venerating the icon of St. Gabriel. Xenia immediately met Mother Maria there. The young woman shared her sorrows with her and Mother Maria taught her how to pray to the saint.
No sooner had Xenia finished listening to Mother Maria’s advice than one of the parishioners called out to her, saying,
“Xenia, don’t stand in the cold with the children! Go into the church and venerate the wonder-working icon.”
When Xenia entered the church, she felt a sense of warmth and comfort. A small, silver-framed icon of St. Gabriel of Samtavro lay on the analogion in the middle of the church.
“Mama, I’ll pray and venerate the icon myself,” Petya said.
Xenia and her children came up to the icon: first the older children kissed it, and then she brought the younger Alyosha to the saint’s icon and asked him to venerate it.
Having lowered the child, with a fervent heart and tears in her eyes she cried out to the holy Father Gabriel, imploring him to heal her son Alexei from dumbness. At that moment Xenia even forgot where she was and what was going on around her. All her being was concentrated on prayer.
After a while, having moved away from the icon with the children, she suddenly darted forward again. The people stood aside, again giving her space near the saint’s icon. Xenia again turned with all her heart to the saint of God, fervently asking for the gift of speech for the little Alexei.
And a miracle occurred before everybody’s very eyes!
“Mama! Mama!” little Alyosha shouted.
Xenia froze and turned around slowly. Tears flowed and flowed down her face. She took Alyosha into her arms and cuddled him. And he uttered the word “Mama” again.
Xenia wept and thanked God for the miracle.
Turning around, she saw that she was surrounded by parishioners. They were looking with joy and tender feeling at the happy mother with her son in her arms, healed from dumbness.
Xenia again, for the third time, walked towards the icon of the Venerable Gabriel. She knelt down and thanked the saint of God heartily.
From that time on, little Alyosha began to speak—first simple words, then short sentences. At first he didn’t pronounce many phrases distinctly, but the boy tried his best, and had good progress. And his happy mother Xenia kept repeating:
“I believe that through the prayers of Holy Father Gabriel of Samtavro the Lord gave my son the gift of speech. Glory to God for everything!”
***
Lydia, an accountant at a large company, began to be nagged by her boss. Although Lydia had extensive work experience (she already received a work pension), the boss began to speak to her with irritation and contempt. Lydia, a modest and responsible person, became nervous and worried. She dared not look for a similar job, because she was of retirement age. She decided to work even harder, but she only annoyed her director all the more. One day he invited Lydia into his office and said dryly:
“Lidia Ivanovna, I’ve decided to give your job to another employee and wish you a well-deserved retirement.”
Lydia went cold. She froze for a moment and asked him in a low voice:
“But why? I am able to do my job.”
“The administration wants to hire a younger employee for your position.”
Lydia got very frustrated. She asked, “How much time do you give me to complete all the tasks at my workplace?”
The boss replied, “One month.”
It was in March 2022.
Lydia did not known about St. Gabriel of Samtavro before. There was an icon of this saint in the church she attended, and every time Lydia left the service, she kissed Father Gabriel’s image without knowing whose image it was. She only knew that he was some ascetic of piety.
Soon Lydia came across an article in some newspaper about Elder Gabriel of Samtavro. The saint’s life story inspired her, and she decided to buy an akathist to the saint of God in a church shop. Lydia began to read daily akathists to St. Gabriel of Samtavro and the Most Holy Theotokos. And she felt better at heart.
But Lydia went to work with anxiety, awaiting the day of her dismissal.
And now that day came. Lydia had been sitting in her office since early morning. Suddenly she heard her boss’s footsteps in the corridor and became agitated. He was resolutely heading straight for her office. At that moment Lydia took a small piece of paper and wrote quickly on it, “Father Gabriel, please keep this position for me!”
At that moment Lydia’s boss suddenly stopped on the threshold of her office and said softly, as if to himself:
“I need to go out for a smoke.”
Lydia let out a sigh of relief. She had been waiting all day long for the harsh news of her dismissal! But the boss did not come to her anymore and did not call her to his office.
That evening, Lydia hurried to a flower shop, bought a bunch of beautiful white roses, took them to the church and thanked the Mother of God and St. Gabriel.
The next morning the woman learned that she had been left to work in the same position. It was a true miracle! And her boss began to speak with Lydia in a more restrained manner.
Later Lydia related:
“What happened was a genuine miracle! Thank you, Father Gabriel, for helping me!”
The Venerable Gabriel of Samtavro gives people generous presents. He fulfils their prayer requests for healing, regulating their lives, having children, help with employment, and other things.
***
Marina from the Vologda region also received a wonderful gift from Father Gabriel. She was having a hard time in her life—she had just recovered from an illness, could not find the right job, and was often despondent. Marina attended the church closest to her house in her hometown and always venerated the icon of St. Gabriel of Samtavro, asking him to help her.
On November 2—the feast-day (repose) of the great ascetic—Marina stood in front of his icon and said:
“Father Gabriel, I know this is your feast, but please send me a present, your attention means a lot to me. I’m having such a hard time right now…”
The next morning, Marina’s mother called her from Moscow, where she was staying for a few days. She said happily:
“Marinochka,4 today in a church shop I quite accidentally heard a conversation about Father Gabriel’s holy oil, which I’ve bought for you. I know how much you venerate and love this saint.”
“Mama, this is the best present for me, it’s from the saint himself!” Marina exclaimed in astonishment.
Marina always remembers how Father Gabriel sent her a present dear to her heart. And soon through the prayers of the saint, everything in Marina’s life was sorted out. Glory to God for all things!
Holy Father Gabriel, pray to God for us!
