Venerable Gabriel (Urgebadze). Gabriel (Urgebadze): predictions about the end times and spiritual instructions

The worldly name of father Gav-ri-i-la is Go-derd-zi Ur-geb-ad-ze. He was born on August 26, 1929 in Tbi-li-si, in the family of a convinced com-mu-ni-sta. The father died early, and the relatives called the boy by his father's name - Vasya.

I believed in God in childhood. One day the neighbors were talking, and one of them said: “You crushed me like Christ.” Mal-chi-ku became in-te-res-but, what does it mean - “ras-five” and who is Christ. The adults from the re-ben-ka went to church, where the guard in-co-ve-to read the Gospel to him. He saved money, bought Evangelicals, and after a few years knew the text practically by heart.

The desire for money arose in him even in his youth. Later, the old man said: “There is no more g-ro-iz-ma than mo-na-she-stvo.” For a long time, his mother was against her son’s aspirations for education, but at the end of her life she came to terms with his bo-rom, and then she got her hair cut and was well-nigh in the mo-na-sta-re of Sam-tav-ro.

He took the mo-na-she-sky haircut at the age of 26, having received the name of the pre-excellent Gav-ri-i-la of Athos - the elder, someone walked along the water and brought to the Athos shore the Iveron Icon of the God Ma-te-ri, floating on the sea. Father Gav-ri-il especially read the miraculous list of Iverskaya, kept in the Sam-tav-ro monastery.

In the courtyard of his house on Tet-rits-ka-roy street, Father Gav-ri-il built a multi-domed church. cove. He carried it with his own hands and finished it around 1962. The icons for this church, Father Gav-ri-il, went to the city dumps, where in those years they and you-ki-dy-va -there are many saints together with the mu-so-rum. Sometimes he wandered around the dumps for whole days. He had a small workshop where he cleaned icons and made frames for them from various materials. The walls of his church were completely covered with ob-ra-za-mi. Yes, he put photographs and pictures of icons from secular journals in frames.

On May 1, 1965, during the de-monstration, hiero-monah Gav-ri-il burned a 12-meter-long portrait of Le-ni-na, you-ve-shen- on the building of the Supreme Council of the Georgian SSR, and began to preach to the people of Christ. For this he was severely sent to the KGB detention center of Georgia. In the pre-pro-se, Father Gav-ri-il said: he did it because “you can’t do anything for God. There , in place of the port-re-ta of Le-ni-na, there must be a vi-network of the Crucifixion of Christ. Glory is not needed for man. -say: “Glory to the Lord Jesus Christ.” In August of that year, he was admitted to a psychiatric hospital for observation. There he was recognized as crazy. Star-tsu po-sta-vi-li di-a-gnosis: “psych-ho-pa-ti-che-personality, believes in God and angels.” He's a white bi-let.
Subsequently, the church hierarchs, to please the secular authorities, did not allow him to go to church, did not let him to the service, about-go-nya-whether. It was not possible for the father to partake, but he wanted it with all his soul. He could go without food for several days, not sleep for a long time, but it was very difficult to bear the impossibility of being away from someone else’s life. nie from the church. The old man often cried from insanity, opening his soul to his sisters.

In the 1980s, he settled down in the Sam-tav-ro mo-sty. Lately he lived in a round tower. For some time I was surprised at the miracles of the ba-tyush-ki, until I saw a special feat in them . At first it seemed strange to them that he had lived for some time in a hen-house, where there were large cracks, winter my go-dil bo-si-com. Then the sisters began to feel that an extraordinary love was coming from him: he loved everyone. Often the old man shouted at his sister, demanded obedience from them, forced them to do something, or could force them to eat from dirty as hell. But it was impossible to be offended by him - tender love shone in his eyes.

Igu-me-new Fe-o-do-ru, when she was still mo-na-hi-ney, he took with him to Tbi-li-si and made-about -shay-no-chat. The two of them talked sweetly, and then the old man distributed everything to the beggars. If they returned by taxi, he could shout at the taxi and not give the money at all, or he could pay a lot times more.

On the Passionate Seed, a hundred-year-old cry came from his cell. Some vid-de-li, how, during your prayer, he was 40-50 centimeter-meters above the ground and wasted from him - the light dimmed. Believing people, according to their father Gav-ri-i-la, moved them, they came to him like to a living saint.

Otar Ni-ko-la-i-shvi-li was the spiritual child of ba-tyush-ki and often spent time in his cell. One day, Father Gav-ri-il unexpectedly told him that he had to immediately, urgently, go to the monastery of St. An-to-niya Mart-kop-sko-go. Otar was embarrassed: Ma-shi-na is not moving, we have problems with her. Ba-tyush-ka stood, and they somehow drove on. Do-ro-ha stood up in the mountain, the car "coughed and sneezed," but the old man suddenly said: “Son, you’re not mad, the very good An-to-niy Mart-kop-sky himself is riding with us in the back seat, but you don't ob-ra-chi-wai-sya." And the car suddenly rushed forward so much that the driver had to slam on the brakes. When they entered the Mo-na-Styr-Vo-ro-ta, the car immediately stalled. At the same time, several armed, aggressive people entered there. The old man immediately came forward and said: “Shoot at me.” This is confusing and cut-vi-lo ban-di-tov, and they are the abode.

Father Gav-ri-il died on November 2, 1995 from swelling. According to the elder’s order, his body was wrapped in qi-nov-ku and placed in the earth where Saint Ni-vis-was on the.

December 24, 2012, the resolution of the Holy Si-no-da of the Georgian Orthodox Church Elder Gav-ri -il glorified in the ranks of the saints as a venerable one. This happened in an incredibly short time after his death - 17 years later.

On February 22, 2014, the incorruptible relics of the saint were found.

On December 25, 2014, the Holy Synod of the Russian Right-Glorious Church decided to “include in the month” and the Russian Orthodox Church, the name of the Most High Gav-ri-i-la Sam-ta-vriy-skogo from the institute the celebration of his memory on November 2, as is established in the Georgian Orthodox Church.”

Mtskheta is the ancient capital of Georgia. This small town attracts tourists and pilgrims. And not without reason. Here are famous monasteries: Jvari, Zedazeni, Svetitskhoveli, Samtavro. Exactly at convent In Samtavro a stream of suffering people flows in a continuous stream. They are going to the grave of Elder Gabriel (Urgebadze), glorified as a saint by the Georgian Church on December 20, 2012. It happened in an incredible way short term after his death - 17 years later.

The old man was called " great love XX century". He often wore a sign on his chest: “A man without love is like a jug without a bottom.”

A man filled with love

Aliis inserviendo consumor.
(By serving others, I waste myself.)
Latin proverb

Reverend Confessor Gabriel (Urgebadze) was born on August 26, 1929. His worldly name was Goderdzi. His mother for a long time was against her son’s desire to become a monk, but at the end of her life she came to terms with his choice, and later she herself took monastic vows. She is also buried in the Samtavro Monastery.

Goderdzi became a believer as a child. One day the neighbors were arguing, and one of them said: “You crucified me like Christ.” The boy became interested in what it means to “crucify” and who Christ is. The adults sent the child to church, where the watchman advised him to read the Gospel. He saved up money, bought the Gospel and after a few years knew the text practically by heart.

The desire for monasticism arose in him in his youth. Later the elder said: “There is no greater heroism than monasticism.” And he proved this throughout his life.

Monastic tonsure he accepted at the age of 26, receiving the name of St. Gabriel of Athos - an elder who walked on the water and brought the Iveron Icon of the Mother of God, which had sailed across the sea, to the Athos shore. Father Gabriel especially revered the miraculous list of Iverskaya, kept in the Samtavro monastery.

In the courtyard of his house on Tbilisi Tetritskaroy street, Father Gabriel built a multi-domed church. He built it with his own hands and finished it around 1962. Father Gabriel found icons for this church in city dumps, where in those godless years numerous holy objects were taken and thrown away along with garbage. Sometimes he wandered around the dumps for days on end. He had a small workshop where he cleaned icons, made frames for them from different materials. The walls of his church were completely covered with images. He even framed photographs and images of icons from secular magazines.

On May 1, 1965, during a demonstration, Hieromonk Gabriel burned a 12-meter portrait of Lenin hanging on the building Supreme Council Georgian SSR, and began to preach Christ to the gathered people. For this he was severely beaten and put in the Georgian KGB detention center. During interrogation, Father Gabriel said: he did this because “you cannot idolize a person. There, in place of the portrait of Lenin, the Crucifixion of Christ should hang. Man doesn't need fame. We must write: “Glory to the Lord Jesus Christ.” In August 1965, Father Gabriel was admitted to a psychiatric hospital for examination. Here he was declared crazy. The elder was diagnosed: “a psychopathic personality, believes in God and angels.” He was given a “white ticket”. But then even more terrible things happened to him. Church hierarchs, to please the authorities, did not allow him to enter the church, did not allow him to attend services, and drove him away. The priest did not have the opportunity to receive communion, but he wanted this with all his soul. He could go without food for several days, without sleeping for a long time, but he could not live without church. And the elder often cried from powerlessness, opening his soul to his sisters.

Father Gabriel settled in Samtavro in the 1980s; most recently he lived in a round tower. The nuns were surprised for some time at the priest’s eccentricities, until they saw in them a special feat. At first it seemed strange to them that he lived for some time in a chicken coop, where there were large gaps, walked barefoot in winter... The old man’s behavior did not fit into any framework, did not correlate with any of the human concepts. But then they began to feel that extraordinary love was coming from him: he loved everyone. Often the elder shouted at the sisters, demanded obedience from them, forced them to do something, or could force them to eat from dirty dishes. But it was impossible to be offended by him - tender love shone in his eyes.

He took Abbess Theodora with him to Tbilisi when she was still a nun and forced her to beg. The two of them begged for alms, and then the elder gave everything to the poor. If they returned by taxi, he could yell at the taxi driver and not give any money at all, or he could pay many times more.

IN Holy Week Constant crying could be heard from his cell. Some saw how during prayer he rose 40–50 centimeters above the ground and light emanated from him. Believers revered Father Gabriel as a great ascetic; they came to him as to a living saint. When the elder received numerous guests, he always made sure that there was “professor” on the table - that’s what he called red wine. While generously treating people, he ate almost nothing himself. Father said that we must feed on Divine love, and not just food.

Otar Nikolaishvili was the priest’s spiritual child and often spent time in his cell. One day, Father Gabriel unexpectedly told him that he needed to immediately, urgently go to the monastery of St. Anthony of Martkop. Otar was confused: the car was not running, there were problems with it. Father insisted, and somehow they drove off. The road began to climb uphill, the car “coughed and sneezed,” but the old man suddenly said: “Son, don’t worry, you’re with us.” back seat goes by himself Reverend Anthony Martkopsky, but don’t turn around.” And the car suddenly jerked forward so much that the driver had to slam on the brakes. When they drove into the monastery gates, the car immediately stalled. At the same time, several armed people entered there, aggressively inclined. The elder immediately came forward and said: “Shoot me.” This confused and sobered up the bandits, and they left the monastery.

According to the elder’s will, his body was wrapped in a mat and interred in the place where Saint Nina labored. Father Gabriel died on November 2, 1995 from dropsy. He suffered greatly from pain, but did not show it.

After his death, an innumerable number of healings began to occur at the grave. The elder is deeply revered by all of Georgia.

From the elder's sayings

Whoever learns to love will be happy. Just don’t think that love is an innate talent. Love can be learned, and we must do it.

Without sacrifice for the sake of the Lord and neighbor, nothing will work out in spiritual life. Without sacrifice you cannot learn to love.

God does not accept empty words. God loves business. Good deeds are love.

Live in such a way that not only God loves you, but also people - there is nothing more than that.

Testament of Archimandrite Gabriel

Glory to Christ God!

From His Holiness and Beatitude Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia Ilia II I ask forgiveness and blessings. I leave my blessing and forgiveness-reconciliation to the entire priestly and monastic rank. God is Love, but although I tried a lot, I could not achieve love for God and neighbor, according to the commandment of the Lord. In love lies the entire acquisition by man of the Kingdom of Heaven in this visible world and the inheritance of Eternity ( Eternal Life). Bury me without a coffin, in a robe. Be kind and humble; in our humility the Lord remembered us, for He gives grace to the humble. Before every God-born person, be with humility, kindness and love. I take love for everyone with me - both for the Orthodox people and for everyone born person. The purpose of life and this entire visible world is to gain the Kingdom of God, to draw closer to God and to inherit Eternal Life. This is what I wish for all of you. I leave you with my blessing, so that no one will lose the great mercy of God and may everyone be rewarded with the acquisition of the Kingdom. There is no man who will live and not sin. I alone am a great sinner, unworthy in every way, extremely weak. With all my love, I pray to you all: when passing by my grave, ask for forgiveness of me, a sinner. I was dust, and to dust I have returned.

Prayer of Elder Gabriel

Lord, I pray to You, hear us from heaven, look upon us, grant Your mercy, let us go in peace, so that we may walk in Your path, fulfill Your commandments and renounce evil. Teach us, Lord, to pray before You and fulfill Your holy law, so that our hearts become devoted to You and to all of us to live according to Your holy law.

IN Holy Saturday On the channel "Culture" there was a series of four films about modern elders. The hero of one of them, the venerable confessor Archimandrite Gabriel (Urgebadze), was glorified as a saint by the Georgian Church on December 20 last year. For Georgia he is like Elder Paisios. His exploits, sincerity and fearlessness in preaching Christ are unparalleled. We are publishing a photo report from the Samtavria Monastery, where the saint is buried, and archival photographs.

The elder prayed for his native country as the Apostle Paul did for the Jewish people. He was seen on his knees asking God: “Accept me as a sacrifice, and save Georgia!” He lived in the atheistic USSR, but it seemed that neither fear nor lies were completely unknown to him. He himself tried to seem like a simple madman, but he preached with his whole life. Preached Christ Crucified.

In his desire to tell people about Christ, he knew no fear. In 1965, he burned a portrait of Lenin during May Day to “destroy the idol.” In the 1970s, on Rustaveli Avenue (the main street of Tbilisi), raising his hands to the sky, he could call on people to open churches. The elder loved opera, but during a performance he could get up on stage and start preaching. In the 1990s, during the confrontation between the troops of Zviad Gamsakhurdia and the formations of Jaba Ioseliani “Mkhedrioni”, he could go to the armed militants and drive them out of the monastery, because he considered the war fratricidal.

For Georgia, Elder Gabriel is like Elder Paisius of the Svyatogorets for Greece. He is also revered, many remember coming to him for advice and consolation, there are always people at his grave who came for healing, there are many vivid vivid stories about him.

Reverend Confessor Gabriel (Urgebadze) was born on August 26, 1929. In the world his name was Goverdzi, but usually he was called Vasiko, in memory of his early deceased father. For a long time, Father Gabriel’s mother was against his desire for monasticism, but at the end of her life she came to terms with her son’s choice and took monastic vows herself. She was buried in the Samtavro monastery. Vasiko believed as a child. One day the neighbors were arguing and one of them said: “You crucified me like Christ.” The boy became interested in what it means to “crucify” and who Christ is. The adults sent the child to church, where the watchman advised him to read the Gospel. Vasiko saved up money and bought the Gospel. A few years later he knew the text practically by heart. The desire to become a monk arose in him as a child. Later the elder said: “There is no greater heroism than monasticism.” We can say that he proved this throughout his life.

On January 30, 1955, Goderdzi Urgebadze was ordained to the rank of deacon, on February 27 he became a monk with the name Gabriel (Gabriel), and was soon ordained to the rank of hieromonk. He chose the monastic name for himself. This is stated in the petition to Bishop Gabriel of Kutaisi-Gaenat. The Monk Gabriel of Athos became an angel from his tonsure, an elder who walked on the water and brought the Iveron Icon of the Mother of God, which had sailed across the sea, to the Athos shore. Father Gabriel especially revered the miraculous list of “Iverskaya”, kept in the Samtavro monastery

In his home on Tbilisi Tetritskaroskaya Street (house 11), Father Gabriel built a multi-domed church. He built it with his own hands, almost without outside help, and finished around 1962. The idea of ​​building temples was close to him since childhood. Back in kindergarten he loved to build models of churches from matches. As a boy, he alone went to a dilapidated, cluttered cathedral and cleared it of large boulders that not every adult could lift. The elder’s acquaintances said that his father participated in the destruction of churches under Stalin; the saint was very worried about this and prayed for his father.

The authorities tried many times to demolish the temple. It's no joke - just during the Khrushchev persecution, when churches were closed, some “crazy” hieromonk opened a church without permission! One day, the commissioner came to Father Gabriel with the bishop so that he could convince the stubborn monk to dismantle the temple. The bishop told Father Gabriel that times were bad now, “sometimes you have to retreat,” and it would be better to dismantle the temple. The elder obeyed and dismantled the front wall of the temple. And two days later he restored it. He was asked why he did it. “I listened and destroyed, and now good time- and built it,” answered Father Gabriel. They didn't touch him anymore

Father Gabriel collected icons from garbage dumps. As his spiritual daughter, schema-abbess Ioanna (Sikharulide), writes, the elder went to landfills almost every day. He had a reverent attitude towards the shrine since childhood. As a boy, he came to his friends and said: “At your house (pointing exact location) icon lies. Either give it due respect, or give it to me, and I will have it; then, if you again want to pay her due respect, come to me, and I will gladly return her to you.” Some felt sorry, and they left the icon, and some, who had no such desire, gave it away.

The inscription translated means “Patience.” Above the entrance to the temple, Father Gabriel placed the inscription “Glory to God in the highest.” There is also a sign in the temple “Free Georgia”. On May 1, 1965, before the demonstration, Hieromonk Gabriel burned a 12-meter portrait of Lenin, hung on the building of the Supreme Council of the Georgian SSR, and began to preach Christ to the gathered people. He was severely beaten. He predicted: “You yourself will then demolish the monuments to Lenin.” He was put in the Georgian KGB detention center. During interrogation, Father Gabriel said: “I did this because you cannot idolize a person. There, in place of the portrait of Lenin, the crucifixion of Christ should hang. Why do you write: “Glory to Lenin” when a person does not need fame? We must write: “Glory to the Lord Jesus Christ.” In August 1965, Father Gabriel was transferred to a psychiatric hospital for examination. Here he remained until August, when he was declared insane. By the way, many years before, the future holy fool himself came to a psychiatric clinic. After the army they wanted to marry him, but since childhood he firmly wanted to become a monk. Declaring himself crazy and disrupting the wedding in this way was the way he saw it.

Future Patriarch Ilia II, Archimandrite Gabriel and the nuns of the Samtavria Monastery. The monastery dedicated to the Transfiguration of the Lord was founded in Mtskheta in the first half of the 11th century. on the site of a wooden church of the 4th century. St. is buried here. Equal-to-the-Apostles Nina, enlightener of Georgia, and St., who was converted to Christianity by her. Equal-to-the-Apostles King Mirian. For the first time, Father Gabriel came to the Samtavri Monastery at the age of 12. The nuns fed the boy, but did not allow him to stay. He spent the night in prayer at the gates of the monastery, asking the Mother of God to leave him in the monastery. Many years later, his prayer was fulfilled. Subsequently, he visited the monastery many times and since 1987 began to live here in small house, former chicken coop. He often left the monastery and in 1990 moved to the Shiomgvime monastery. Here he had a vision; God ordered him to go to Samtavro and serve the people. With the blessing of Patriarch Ilia II, Father Gabriel finally settled in Samtavro

Tower of St. Miriana in the Samtavri monastery. Archimandrite Gabriel lived in it

The pit in which Father Gabriel spent the night many times. He was generally distinguished by extreme non-covetousness. Sometimes, in order to humble his spiritual children, the elder went with them to beg. With the alms he collected, he bought food and fed everyone around him. Each time, having done a good deed, the saint began to act like a fool. Especially often he pretended to be a drunkard - he displayed a jug of wine or vodka

The elder said about his foolishness: “The Lord will diminish and exalt. When I start to consider myself better than others, I put my tiara on my head and go outside barefoot. People look at me and laugh, and I see what a nonentity I am.”

Before his death, Father Gabriel was very ill, and often received people while lying in his cell.

Father Gabriel died on November 2, 1995, immediately after the canon for the outcome of the soul was read over him. His funeral took place on November 4. “Death is a transformation. Don't be afraid of death - fear God's judgment. Imagine how your heart beats when you stand in front of a professor during an exam. How much more terrible it is to stand before God in judgment,” said Archimandrite Gabriel.

The saint was buried according to ancient monastic custom, without a coffin, wrapped in a mat. No one dared to throw earth on his body, so it was poured onto the edges of the grave, and it gradually poured down.

The elder’s grave is located in the place where Equal-to-the-Apostles Nina once prayed. Afterwards, many people visit the elder’s grave. People come to him as if he were alive - for advice and consolation.

The litiya at the grave of Archimandrite Gabriel (Urgebadze) is performed by Patriarch Ilia II and the bishops of the Georgian Church.

Archimandrite Gabriel said about Patriarch Elijah that he has two crosses. One is the Church, the other is the entire Georgian people

The nun who cared for Father Gabriel lives in a tent near the grave of her Abba. When they come to the grave of an elder and approach her for a blessing, or just to talk, ask for advice

This is what her tent looks like inside

Icons of the Venerable Confessor Gabriel began to be painted soon after his death.

Father Gabriel attracted everyone with his Christian sacrificial love. By humility and obedience he led everyone to the Kingdom of Heaven. “For the humble, any trial will pass by. The Lord gives grace to the humble; without humility no one will enter the Kingdom of Heaven!” - the elder taught. He gave us such “exams” of humility and obedience that we often only realized his intentions years later. The elder loved to repeat: “The Lord requires from us both heart and good deeds. Whatever good they did to their neighbor, they did to me, teaches the Lord.”

One clergyman asked the elder a question:

What is fasting?

“I’ll explain now,” the elder answered and reminded him of all his sins committed since childhood.

Out of shame, the clergyman did not know where to go and began to cry. The elder suddenly became cheerful and offered him some food.

How can I eat now, I feel so bad! - he answered.

This is what this post is. When you remember your sins, you repent and no longer think about food.

Before Great Lent, the priest, as a rule, prayed on his knees for forgiveness of sins on the pulpit of the Transfiguration Church. If he angrily reproached someone, and he did not come for forgiveness until the evening, then he himself went to him and asked for forgiveness.

When I was his cell attendant, worldly passions disappeared in me. I felt that rational thoughts and a sense of compassion intensified within me. He guided me in an amazing way. Sometimes I felt so light, as if I was floating in the air. Then the priest began to humble me. And when I felt a heaviness in my soul, as if the whole world was hanging on my shoulders and I was dying, he consoled me with humor:

Be patient, be patient, mother: whoever endures to the end will win!

A husband and wife came to the priest for a blessing. The wife was pregnant. Father Gabriel began to instruct them to live Christian life, don’t get irritated, watch your speech, because... the child hears everything.

The husband objected to him:

What are you saying, Father Gabriel: you can’t hear the conversation behind the wall, but the child hears it in his stomach?

So you don't believe me? - said Father Gabriel and, turning to his mother, loudly asked the child: “Child, I ask you, don’t you hear the word of God?” The child began to twitch so sharply in his stomach that, clutching his stomach, the mother hurriedly left the cell.

Guests from the Holy Mountain arrived to the elder. Father Gabriel gave one of them an icon of the saint whose name he bore. The surprised guest knelt down and asked the elder to go to Holy Mount Athos, where he would not need anything. Father Gabriel said: “I will not exchange my Georgia for Athos.” This monk was the abbot of the Xiropotamian monastery.

It was 6 o’clock in the evening, I was sitting in the elder’s cell. Suddenly he ordered me to go out and leave him alone: ​​“You can’t look at me now!” I hurriedly headed towards the exit. Looking back, I saw that his face lit up, emitting the rays of the sun.

Once a woman came to the elder and said:

You saved me from death, let me thank you.

She told us the following story:

I live near the cemetery, in an old house. At night, bandits broke into my place. Out of fear, I began to call Father Gabriel for help. A miracle happened: the elder appeared instantly and began to chase them with a club. The frightened bandits fled, losing their heads, and the old man disappeared as suddenly as he had appeared.

Father Gabriel, who was seriously ill, once told me:

Now I’ll go to the Shavnabad monastery.

I thought he was joking.

After a while I asked:

Father, have you been to Shavnabad?

Yes, I visited. When I arrived, they were having a meal, everything was fine there.

Haven't they seen you? - I asked again.

No, where from? If they saw me, they would be surprised, and I didn’t want to show myself to them.

What did Father Shio do? - I asked.

“I counted people,” answered the elder.

A few days later the rector of Shavnabad came to Father Gabriel monastery Archimandrite Shio.

I ask him:

Are there many of you in the monastery?

I don’t know: some come, others go. I usually count them during meals.

Father Gabriel looked at me meaningfully and smiled. I was shocked.

Father Gabriel, who was seriously ill, asked to be taken to church. Before the icon of the Mother of God, he knelt, with tears in his eyes, begging the Most Holy Theotokos: “Accept me as a sacrifice, Mother of God, just save my Georgia!” When the old man was especially overcome by pain about the fate of his Motherland, he called me and asked me to sing a lullaby.

Woe to that monk or priest who does not live suffering for his people.

When, in return for loving his neighbor, he received insults, ridicule and humiliation, I asked him in surprise: “Do you really still love them?” And he sadly answered: “Now I feel sorry for them and love them even more.”

As a rule, he never made visitors wait for him: “How can you be calm if someone is waiting for you? Heart good monk should be as sensitive as a woman’s.”

He brought everyone, without exception, into his small cell and preached to them God's grace and love: “The heart is strong, but the body is weak. Don't worry about your body, save your soul. Whoever overcomes gluttony and idle talk is already the right way. First of all, seek the Kingdom of Heaven, and the rest will follow by itself,” he recalled the words of the Holy Scriptures.

One day the elder asked us a question:

What does it mean “Prayer will be counted as a sin”?

“Probably, we prayed incorrectly,” we answered.

No, they prayed correctly, said the elder.

Probably the prayer did not come from the heart...

Came from the heart!!!

They were probably praying absent-mindedly.

They also thought I had become saints; absent-mindedness is inherent in each of us.

Not guessing right, we asked the elder to explain to us.

“I’ll explain now,” said the priest.

At this time, one believer came to him for a blessing. Father Gabriel asked him to provide a favor, but the young man refused it, citing being busy: “I can’t do it now, but we’ll see later,” and left with these words.

Now he will go and pray for five hours straight, but will the Lord accept his prayer if he refused to help me? If you do not keep God’s commandments, there is no point in bothering God with your long prayers; the Lord will not hear you, and your prayer will be considered a sin for you. Good deeds will open the doors of heaven, humility will lead you to heaven, and through love you will see God. If prayer is not followed by good deeds, prayer is dead, said the elder.

Father gave us an example from his life related to the sin of condemnation:

At the altar they condemned a priest who was obsessed with the passion of drunkenness, and I condemned him in the presence of the Patriarch, wanting to show my impeccability, although I did not know this priest.

We always had wine at home. I wanted to drink. After drinking a glass of wine, I went to Zion Cathedral. Entering the altar, I felt that drunkenness had overcome me, I stumbled and almost fell. The Patriarch managed to hold me back, although no one seemed to notice, but I clearly understood that I had learned a lesson.

The more you condemn, the more you will be condemned. When you condemn someone, know that you are condemning God himself.

Venerable Gabriel (Urgebadze) Photo: pravoslavie.ru

One day a young man came to the elder. Looking at him intently, the elder said: “I don’t see your soul, go and accept it now.” Holy Sacrament Communion, may the Divine Grace of God save you!”

The young man performed the blessing and received communion on the same day. In the evening, friends came to him and offered to take part in the feast, which he refused because of Communion. Friends took someone else instead, and he died that same evening as a result of an accident.

Father Gabriel was visiting a family where a young man came. Looking at him, Father Gabriel said: “Son, misfortune awaits you, come to me, I will bless you and take away your misfortune.” The young man came up for the blessing. After some time, a random bullet slightly grazed him, but he remained unharmed.

Once after the liturgy, the believers left the church, having accepted grace, but when they saw a stray dog, they began to throw stones at it. Father Gabriel noted bitterly:

Well, believers, it would be better for them not to come to church at all and not to stand through the service, pretending to pray.

Father Gabriel loved to sit on the top step of the stairs leading to the tower. One day a priest was walking up the stairs. Father Gabriel turned to me and said:

Do you want me to shake this priest now?

I was scared: Father Gabriel addressed him using the most obscene expressions.

The priest stopped and calmly answered:

Father Gabriel, I am much worse.

The elder lovingly hugged the priest and said:

You are my true brother!

It used to be that Father Gabriel would take a jug of wine in front of his cell, cover it with a towel and pretend to hide it. By this he created the appearance that wine was his weakness.

Father Gabriel warned us that when he dies, we do not put him in a coffin, but he ordered that the coffin be left for his mother, adding:

It happens that the deceased is buried on the same day.

These words stuck in my memory.

Five years after the death of the elder, his mother, nun Anna, died. She died on Holy Wednesday at 8 pm. The next day, at the Liturgy, His Holiness was notified, and the blessing was given to bury Father Gabriel’s mother on the same day.

The old man’s words involuntarily came to mind. He foresaw five years in advance that his mother would be buried within one day.

During the tonsure of one nun, the priest lamented:

Child, child, how I feel sorry for you, what a heavy cross you take on!

Time passed, and this nun left the monastery and returned to the world.

The elder was very fond of the opera Daisi. I used to go to the opera house. I especially loved the scene when the Patriarch blesses the people. Although the role of the Patriarch was played by an actor, and the play was on, Father Gabriel always stood up when he appeared.

One day the actor became confused and the performance was temporarily suspended. Father Gabriel, taking advantage of the turmoil, climbed onto the stage and began to preach about Christ.

One day a girl came to the elder and told him that there were constant quarrels and scandals in their house, and her brother ran away from home.

“The elder immediately went to our home. They entered and saw that the brother was already at home.

Some force forced me to return,” said the brother.

Father Gabriel went up to the icons and began to pray. I saw how the icon of the Mother of God was illuminated with a radiant light, illuminating the face of the elder. His prayer was so strong that all uncleanness was removed from our family. Since then, peace and tranquility have reigned in our family,” the girl said.

The elder asked one believer:

Do you know what love is?

How could you not know! This is if someone is shooting at your neighbor, and you are shielding him.

No,” answered the priest. - This is if your neighbor is sick and in order to save him you have to go a long way and, despite the possible danger on the road, you go and bring him medicine. This is love.

Father Gabriel taught us:

First of all, seek the Kingdom of Heaven!

How to seek the Kingdom of Heaven? - they asked him.

When you eat food, remember the hungry, the suffering and the thirsty. Pray! You can move mountains with prayer.

One day Father Gabriel told us about his vision:

“The Lord held in his hands a globe on which was depicted a large cross. I asked God:

How will people be saved before the Second Coming?

People will be saved by kindness and love.”

Venerable Gabriel (Urgebadze) Photo: pravoslavie.ru

One day before going to bed, shortly before his death, he pointed to the corner and said:

Death is standing there in the corner, waiting for me. I leave you to pray for you. I must offer your prayer to the Lord.

Two weeks before his death, he was presented with an icon of the Savior Not Made by Hands with a Crown of Thorns. I told him that when they gave him the icon of the Mother of God, he felt better, and now he will be completely healed.

He shook his head and said:

If the Savior had not had a crown of thorns on his head, I would have recovered. And this icon with the crown of thorns means that I am destined to die in agony.

In the icon, the Savior's eyes were closed. After a while they opened. I told Father Gabriel about this.

He replied:

In three days you will know about my death.

And indeed, three days before his death, I read a prayer service to the Most Holy Theotokos, asking for the elder’s recovery. At night I had a vision: Holy Mother of God She said that she would come in three days and completely heal the old man.

When I told Father Gabriel about my vision, he asked me to stay awake all night and talk with him. I tried my best, but, unable to bear it, I fell asleep.

When I woke up, I saw that the priest was not sleeping.

You promised you wouldn't fall asleep! - he reproached me.

I felt ashamed.

Mother, mother... Sister, sister...

I approached. Tears streamed from his eyes. I knelt down. He blessed me, crossed Georgia on all sides, lovingly looked around the cell and began to pray, without taking his eyes off the icon of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker.

I had the feeling that the cell was invisibly filled with angels.

In the evening, Bishops Daniel and Michael arrived and read a prayer for the outcome of the soul. Father Gabriel, looking at everyone with a touching smile, peacefully gave his soul to the Lord.

What was surprising was that his death did not leave a burden on his soul: he felt lightness, love and bliss, not the fear of death, but the joy of Christmas and Resurrection.

Nun Paraskeva (Rostiashvili)
Translated from Georgian by Konstantin Tsertsvadze
especially for the portal Pravoslavie.Ru

Gorgadze Mariami, Kvantaliani Salome. Diadem of the Elder [Forthcoming]

Holy Venerable Gabriel of Samtavria (in the world Goderdzi Vasilyevich Urgebadze,
August 26, 1929, Tbilisi, Georgian SSR - November 2, 1995, Mtskheta, Georgia)
Canonized by the Georgian Orthodox Church on December 20, 2012 as a venerable.

On December 25, 2014, the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church included in the month and
Russian Orthodox Church with the establishment of a celebration of his memory
November 2, as established in the Georgian Orthodox Church.

……………………………………..
……………………………………..
And - shoot! – Moscow said.
……………………………………..
……………………………………..
Tortured for a long time in the KGB……………….
The monk was firm, he struck again and again -
“That is Satan’s minion! Beast…", -
Persevere during all interrogations.

No matter how hard we tried, on our own
He stood with his shoulders straightened like an eagle,
Barely holding on, but on his own!
Servant of God! - “pop”, “anti-adviser”.

"Yes, he is not on friendly terms with his head,
Hallucinations... About God
He says everything, Angelov... Sick!”

That’s how I entered, with a “white ticket”,
He's back into the darkness, there's no redder
Where they were carried on their hands correctly
Our own, who is “more alive than everyone else” -
On banners, on portraits...

And then he burned the portrait -
Twelve meters tall, together
With that cap!

Joy, noise in the morning...
And - the flame is friend... "It's burning... - wah! Wow me! -
"Supreme Council of the GSSR"! -
Where was that one hanging on the wall...
Light bulbs exploded - and where?!
On Rustaveli, already smelling
Column spirit:

May! Blooming
The land and delights of the Parade -
Flags and balls! Around –
Carnations, paper wreaths riot!
There are children on the necks of dads... Laughter.
And - “Lenin lived” and “is alive” and “will be”...
And the brass band thunders.
Noise! May Day! Well, in general, a holiday...
And - a sea of ​​slogans!
And suddenly….

Terrorist attack - we thought... "Special Forces" -
There was the "Eighth Regiment". And - called.
Are waiting…

And especially for demons/strangers
The sermon comes from the podium,
You can hear it all the way to the sky: "Glory" - it is necessary
Write not to Lenin; Lord
Jesus Christ, to Him and Glory!
God-man for us all
Crucified. The Cross must be here!
What's here?! - “idol” portrait!”

Then they beat him severely,
And - to the isolation ward... Torture... Again...
And - to a mental hospital... But Omnipotent
God: the sentence has been overturned!

And he didn't care
He would have died for Christ!

"Psychopathic Personality"
It was called "Goderdzi" in those places
Just like in the Soviet “red”…. With "white" -
He, as he was, is still “Gabriel”,
What in Georgian is Gabrieli.
He bore this name
Since becoming a monk
It's been ten long years now;
With him I would go into the fire and onto the chopping block -
Son of Tiflis...

Tbilisi. Darkness.
Native streets... Paths...
Roads do not lead to the Temple
What's happening these days... Children's hands
All hands reaching out to the sky
Old plane trees... Shushabandi* -
In ancient openwork from long ago!
Balconies, new verandas...
And - he turned there,
Where is the light......

Gabrielli's mother was walking home, -
Where he erected a multi-domed
Through its persistent labor the church
Right in the yard. ... He didn’t walk, he wandered,
Don't accidentally pass by
What icons somewhere:
How many were in landfills?
Then priceless - to no one
Now unnecessary... This "garbage"
He cleaned it himself in the workshop,
In the fence of the church. With taste
He decorated them with carvings,
Making salaries with love
For those thrown into the “trash” by someone.

And amazing joy
His gaze - the old man - radiated,
When he looked at the icons
The martyred king: he knew!
Nicholas II knew that he was God’s,
No wonder they crucified...

The whole family...
The Bolsheviks killed them -
Saints!
- Oh, Mama Gabriel...

And, no matter how much they tell him -
“Take it off, they’ll find out,” “No!”:
I loved…

Once upon a time /Iveron Icon
There wouldn’t be one already /
How he felt... From home
I ran to that landfill... Rescued! - managed.
In honor of Gabriel, who is on the waters
I passed that icon itself
Reception, who sailed to Athos,
And it was named! -...Isn’t that why?..

There was no room in that church
In it: all the walls are in images,
Like well-groomed children. Here he is
I prayed and, but...

How I suffered
Having become “rich”: they didn’t
Let him into service, bo
To please the authorities, hierarchs
They weren't allowed! But he could
Don't eat for a while, don't sleep for a long time,
But without Communion - nothing!
And the father cried in pain,
And I suffered from powerlessness...

He accepted God with his heart from childhood!
And I knew the text of the Gospel
Almost all by heart. Goderdzi
And I dreamed of monasticism
From a young age: “There is no heroism
There is more in the world than that...”
And with his whole life he
He proved that... And his life...

Now he was clearly acting like a fool!
Everyone was surprised: barefoot
I went in winter. Seemed strange
But be offended by him
It was not possible:
Such tender love
The old man's eyes shone... Later
In all his eccentricities
Still we saw a special feat,
In – “For Christ’s sake”...

To Samtavro
He slept in the chicken coop where it's cold
Burst into the cracks... Nothing
I hardly ate on my own, behind a covered
A table for spiritual children, more
“Love will drink and satiate”
But he called the wine “professor”! –
Vine and sun gift in the color of blood:
It contains grape, pure, salt.
And - salt from his mouth, how much salt
And it flowed from his eyes,
Sometimes flooding the nights,
Bo Gabriel was perspicacious.

“My cross is all of Georgia,” Father said, “
And half of Russia”... And all the days
He, calling for repentance,
He preached everything. Always
I prayed, sighing heavily,
As he talks about Iberia, so
And about Russia. So I prayed
That his continuous crying
It became stuffy in the cell
Holy Week...

More
Reh: “Abominable before God,
And even if one
You hate; but you can't
Love, wish well at least.
Love will save people, humility
And kindness! He loved everyone.

Acquired the gift of miracles
And serendipity rested
To the saints while still alive, may you rest in peace.
To his grave, in Samtavro, -
Equal to the Apostles Nina
Where did Nino labor before?
The stream just gushed and flowed
All twenty years... What is it - a stream? -
The sick sea was healed,
And just loving ones! - Hey,
“It was not a jug without a bottom”: it was full
It was love!

Here and now
All his blood is alive, no matter how much
She's already been in vitro for years!

I was sick with dropsy... Suffering,
Didn't bother anyone.
Only before death they took blood
Here for analysis. But he
I couldn't wait. ...Wrapped
Body on the mat, so on the ground
He was betrayed. And right there -
Miracles again! So many miracles!

People still flock to the Relics,
And he hears everyone and sends help!
...or maybe - news? - Why on slabs?
For which there is only one night
The relics of the old man lay, only
Just acquired, why?
The image was clearly displayed
His - Saint? What did you want…. –
What is Gabrieli's mother talking about?
Warns, loving everyone,
In Mother of God Udele,
That the Mother of us all is from the Cross?

In a short time after the Dormition
/Seventeen years have passed/
Canonized by the Incorruptible
Was an Orthodox Saint
Georgian Church.

So in the face
Saints glorified became "sick"
With a “white ticket”! And in granite
Sleeping, - black and red, -
"Everything is alive."

Two years later, Elder Mosha
And we found:

It was February. Shel
Rain. "Twenty third". Chilly...

Yet,
In Svetitskhoveli, where is Heaton
Christ, hidden, indivisible! -
Carried by a thousand hands
The Reverend walked, - with whom the “idol”
He was burned... I didn’t go there “suddenly”
But - through "Sameba"* return
In its original place.

And we would all be healed there...

Pray for us, pray, Holy One...

_______________________________________

* “Shushabandi” - carved, lace balconies.

*Georgia: the image of St. Gabriel (Urgebadze) appeared in the Samtavro monastery on October 22. 2015

*The saint often wore a sign on his chest: “A man without love is like a jug without a bottom.”

* “A few years later, a colleague called the doctor and said that he had unexpectedly found a test tube with blood, forgotten during the renovation of the laboratory, which they had taken from Father Gabriel four years ago. And this blood was like fresh! Zurab Georgievich did not believe it. A colleague came to see him. Indeed, the blood did not clot, did not dry, did not decompose. The doctor took out one drop with a syringe, made a smear and took it to the laboratory. The analysis showed: everything is normal!
They themselves did not know what they were faced with. The doctor went to the patriarch and said that they took blood from Father Gabriel four years ago, and it still has the same composition as if it was taken yesterday. Isn't this a miracle? His Holiness advised that this blood should be buried in the place where Father Gabriel rests. They buried this test tube in the elder’s grave in the Samtavro monastery. Miracles had already begun to happen there, and people coming from all over Georgia took healing oil and earth with them. They were constantly digging up the grave, so Mother Paraskeva, who was caring for her, took a test tube out of the ground. And now she anoints all people who come to the grave with it. Or rather, he does not anoint, but makes the sign of the cross - that’s more accurate.”
*"On February 22, 2014, the relics of St. Gabriel the Fool were found.
This event took place in front of an incredible crowd of people who stood near the monastery day and night. The holy relics were solemnly transferred to the Svetitskhoveli Cathedral, and then to Tbilisi, to the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity (Sameba).
The temple was open around the clock: people came to venerate the relics day and night.
In those days His Holiness Patriarch Ilia II addressed the people with the following words: “Very often people ask us, what is happiness? What is happening in Georgia today is happiness! This is the illumination of the country and people by Light. This is the descent of the Holy Spirit. This is our transformation. This is the state when good reigns and evil is driven out. This is mutual forgiveness and love! And Father Gabriel brought all this to us! One man transformed the whole of Georgia""
http://www.pravoslavie.ru/news/87365.htm

Http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WrrY1_GJKMw
Transfer of the relics of St. Gabriel to Tbilisi
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-qdVROs59A

* Sameba - Sameba - Temple of the Holy Trinity. Tsminda Sameba (;;;;;; ;;;;;;,
which translates as " Holy Trinity") - now the main cathedral
Cathedral of the Georgian Orthodox Church.