Photo: Ru.pinterest.com
“Since I met the holy Elder Gabriel (Urgebadze)...” Initially I meant to start my story with these words. But then I decided that it probably wouldn’t be right, because I hadn’t known him during his earthly life. Only later, after his blessed repose in the Lord, did I read about him and began to pray to him. And I learned from my experience what many of his devotees assert—it is impossible to speak about the holy elder without a smile, warmth and affection. By taking on himself the feat of feigned “foolishness” for Christ’s sake and pretending to be a great sinner, he could expose people’s sins, bring them to repentance, and most importantly, show compassion and “warm” the souls of all dejected people. This warmth is also felt by those who did not meet him on earth, but pray to him now.
Since my “acquaintance” with the holy elder, many unusual things have happened with me. I know stories from other people’s lives, too. For example, one of our parishioners learned about the holy elder when she was very worried that she was unable to get to church for a couple of weeks due to her busy work schedule. She contacted her mother, who lived in another city, told her about St. Gabriel, and asked her to order a prayer service to him. Meanwhile, she was thinking all the time: “If only I could obtain an icon of him and pray in front of it!”
I don’t know for sure regarding the prayer service, but for some reason, her mother (although her daughter hadn’t said a word about it) immediately started looking for an icon of the saint. She phoned all the churches of her city, but to no avail! Next she went to the local monastery, and the first thing she saw in the shop there was the only icon of St. Gabriel! More than that, as she was explained, normally such icons were not sold there at all; a long time before someone had ordered an icon of St. Gabriel for himself at that monastery, but he had never come to take it, so they had put it on the counter… Actually, there is nothing to add to this story. That’s how Elder Gabriel answers our prayers.
The wonderful elder has helped our family many times as well. For instance, a few years ago, there were problems with getting a visa for my spouse’s ministry abroad. We read the akathist hymn to Elder Gabriel, prayed to him, and it turned out that we shouldn’t have worried about it. Because we finally received the visa, albeit with a delay. As you might have guessed, it was issued on the feast-day of Elder Gabriel—so that we should know for sure that the problem had not been solved by earthly means, but through help from above. An ordinary miracle, as it were!
And here is my story about our first encounter with the scary “beast” called COVID-19. To be honest, we were severely ill. We have very distressing memories of it. And one day, our son came up to us, holding the wall:
“I’ve anointed my forehead with Elder Gabriel’s holy oil... Am I the only one at home who can smell this?”
No, he wasn’t the only one who smelled it. A wonderful fragrance spread throughout the room, as if some extraordinary, unearthly flowers had appeared in our house! It had never smelled like this before. Some of you may be skeptical: “What scents you will not smell with COVID-19!” Well, we would probably have agreed with you, if we hadn’t suddenly started to recover quickly from that day on. “Everything is under control—don’t be afraid!”
And once, in tough life circumstances, I asked someone to pray for us to the holy elder. I prayed hard. On that day, my husband was to meet with some generous people to receive some books and relics from them. He brought the gifts home, and among the things that we had known of in advance was an “unexpected” icon of St. Gabriel we hadn’t been told about before. “I hear you!” the saint seemed to be telling us.
I have noticed that I “compare” a lot of things with words or events related to the holy elder. As I find icons on the street, I recall how he collected icons from trash dumps and brought them to his place, washed them clean and restored them. Once I want to pray to one or another saint, I remember how St. Gabriel appeared to one of his venerators (according to her testimony) and asked, “How do you pray to me? Where is your akathist, and where is an icon?” (I rushed to read the akathist immediately). And when I take a prayer rope, I think about the story that another of his venerators told me. Once a young lady was attacked by a criminal on a street with no one else around. Terrified, she clutched at the prayer rope she always had with her. The thug started shouting as if she were “beating him with something creepy and fiery”, and ran away. Well, what are we, sinners, and what are our prayers (even with prayer ropes)? But what really matters is Whom we pray to and Who is with us.
Speaking of prayer ropes: The following story is probably not exactly about a miracle. Or rather about a small, domestic miracle.
One day I came across an advertisement saying that you could order prayer ropes blessed on Elder Gabriel’s relics. I chose an “ascetic”, black one. If I could go back in time, today I would tell my past self: “What are you doing? Pray with the prayer rope that you already have! Why do you need a new one? It’s the passion of acquisitiveness!”
And then thoughts began plaguing me: “Why did I order a new prayer rope? It still won’t be from the elder himself. Yes, it was blessed on his relics, but I already have his holy oil and icon...”
The day came when I opened a small package. There was a prayer rope in it. But not the one I had ordered: it was multicolored! With orange, yellow, blue, green and purple beads on a colored rope. I opened the seller’s catalogue, and indeed, there were such prayer ropes there too. “Prayer ropes for children”, it read under the picture of this colorful wonder.
At first I was confused, and then I laughed for a long time. Firstly, it was a good lesson to me: prayer is not a game, “So take it seriously!” And secondly, a prayer rope with such a “joking” coloring... now I had no doubt that it was from Elder Gabriel. And not only did it denounce me, but it also cheered me up, supported and encouraged me. Of course, I didn’t return it.
I have this prayer rope with me almost all the time. And, by the way, it’s only these days, when Pascha is here, but at the same time you realize that the path to the Resurrection lies through Golgotha, that it has dawned on me that these colors are not “childish” at all. They are Paschal and joyful!
We have entered into Paschal joy. The joy that the saints of God have always borne in their hearts. They shared it, and continue to share it with each one of us.
