Akathist Hymn to Our Venerable Father Saint Gabriel, Archimandrite, Confessor and Fool for Christ
O Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, through the prayers of Thy most pure Mother and of all the saints, have mercy on us. Amen.
Glory to Thee, our God, glory to Thee.
O Heavenly King, Comforter, Spirit of Truth, who art everywhere present and fillest all things with Thy grace, Treasury of good things and Giver of life: come and abide in us, and cleanse us from every stain, and save our souls, O Good One.
Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us. (Thrice)
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, both now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
O Most Holy Trinity, have mercy on us. O Lord, deliver us and release us from our sins; O Master, pardon our iniquities; O Holy One, visit and heal our infirmities, for Thy name’s sake. Lord, have mercy. (Thrice)
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, both now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name; Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
Lord, have mercy. (Twelve times)
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, both now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
O come, let us worship God our King. O come, let us worship and fall down before Christ, our King and God. O come, let us worship and fall down before Christ Himself, our King and our God.
Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy great mercy; and according to the multitude of thy compassions blot out my transgression. Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I am conscious of mine iniquity; and my sin is continually before me. Against thee only have I sinned, and done evil before thee: that thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged. For, behold, I was conceived in iniquities, and in sins did my mother conceive me. For, behold, thou lovest truth: thou hast manifested to me the secret and hidden things of thy wisdom. Thou shalt sprinkle me with hyssop, and I shall be purified: thou shalt wash me, and I shall be made whiter than snow. Thou shalt cause me to hear gladness and joy: the afflicted bones shall rejoice. Turn away thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit in my inward parts. Cast me not away from thy presence; and remove not thy Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of thy salvation: establish me with thy directing Spirit. Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and ungodly men shall turn to thee. Deliver me from blood-guiltiness, O God, the God of my salvation: and my tongue shall joyfully declare thy righteousness. O Lord, thou shalt open my lips; and my mouth shall declare thy praise. For if thou desiredst sacrifice, I would have given it: thou wilt not take pleasure in whole-burnt-offerings. Sacrifice to God is a broken spirit: a broken and humbled heart God will not despise. Do good, O Lord, to Sion in thy good pleasure; and let the walls of Jerusalem be built. Then shalt thou be pleased with a sacrifice of righteousness, offering, and whole-burnt-sacrifices: then shall they offer calves upon thine altar.
Praising thy struggle and wonders with spiritual hymns, we call thee blessed, venerable Gabriel, as the radiant luminary of the Georgian people, and fervently entreat thee, our mighty intercessor and mediator: help us, holy elder, and guard us from all sicknesses and pains, and by thy fatherly boldness turn away trials and the assaults of demons from those who extol and praise thee: Rejoice, holy confessor and fool for Christ, venerable father Gabriel!
As God sent prophets to Israel to reprove them and to intercede before Him, so Christ gave thee the grace to work wonders and showed thee as a fool-for-Christ father and venerable ascetic to reprove thy people, and thou didst labour spiritually for us before God for deliverance from trials and escape from every harm; and even after death, according to thy promise, thou didst not forsake those who revere thee, but like a swift-winged eagle thou goest about the whole world, deliverest from trials those in sorrows and bonds, and grantest healing to those who entreat and praise thee:
Rejoice, lover from childhood of humility and reverence; rejoice, zealous guardian of the purity of souls and bodies; rejoice, chosen vessel and dwelling of holiness; rejoice, great initiate of the Almighty; rejoice, two-edged sword of the Lord that pierceth unbelief; rejoice, strengthener of the humbled faith and trumpet of righteousness; rejoice, all-wondrous preacher of love; rejoice, seer of hidden things and teacher of repentance; rejoice, true servant of Christ the Saviour who didst shine forth in the time of warfare against God; rejoice, radiant pillar of this last time; rejoice, great archimandrite and elder-instructor of all Georgia; rejoice, thou who wast sent from on high for the sanctification of thy people; Rejoice, holy confessor and fool for Christ, venerable father Gabriel!
When the enemies of the right faith seized power in our land, they brought great affliction and distress upon the churches and the faithful, and none could endure it but the perfect and true confessors of Christ; but thou, venerable Gabriel, wast chosen by God from childhood, the son of those unbelieving parents, and the Holy Spirit was thy nurturer, for from His bosom thou didst suck the food of life, and, breathing His fragrance with joy, thou didst ever glorify the Giver of light and Creator of the ages: Alleluia.
From thy youth, O blessed one, thou wast quiet and sensible in manner and wholly apart from the unruly habits of children; and when as a very small child thou didst hear the name of Christ, thou didst go to the church of the martyr Barbara, and, seeing the Saviour hanging on the Cross, thou didst ask with weeping, as though He were living: “Why have they crucified Thee?”; and when the church warden heard, he told thee of the promise of Jesus, and from then on, seeking the “story” of Christ, thou didst buy a “Gospel” by providence from on high and didst ever read the words of God; ask of Him now, O blessed one, to sprinkle us with the dew of thy grace, that our heart may not be cold to hear divine teachings nor to praise thy struggle:
Rejoice, thou who like Samuel the prophet wast set apart for the Lord from thy mother’s womb; rejoice, thou who wast enlightened in spirit and didst shine with manifest light in the darkness of godlessness; rejoice, thou who in thy mind didst withdraw from the cares of this world and draw near to God; rejoice, thou who wast chosen from childhood and filled with divine graces; rejoice, thou who with a sincere and pure heart and an undefiled mind didst drink of the word of God; rejoice, thou who didst make thy soul Christ’s own dwelling; rejoice, thou who from childhood didst amaze all around thee by thy inexplicable longing for God; rejoice, thou who didst take up spiritual weapons; rejoice, thou who instead of games didst build churches of sand; rejoice, thou who didst wholly withstand the pleasures that corrupt the soul; rejoice, thou who didst crucify thy flesh with its passions and desires; rejoice, thou who by the power and grace of the Gospel didst turn wisdom into truth and knowledge into experience; Rejoice, holy confessor and fool for Christ, venerable father Gabriel!
Seeing thy fervour, the evil demon, enemy of the saints, raged and attacked thee as one who tramples on his power; and striking thy head with his foul paw, he said fiercely to the zealous child: “Do not lift up thine eyes to heaven any more”; but thou didst arm thyself courageously with the weapon of the Cross and by its power didst valiantly withstand the snares of the enemy; and when thou wast commanded from on high to cleanse the church named after Saint George, which thy father had torn down, thou didst eagerly fulfil it, and, lifting up with thy hands those great stones, thou didst set them in order wondrously, giving thanks with joy and singing to God with longing: Alleluia.
Such zeal shook thy mother, and when she threw the book of the New Testament into an unclean place, thou didst cleanse that most precious treasure and, a child of twelve years, didst leave thy household; but there was persecution of monks, and, though thou didst long to become a monk, they spared thy young age and did not let thee into the monasteries; and thou didst spend the nights among the graves and in the courtyards of churches, and, beset by hunger and cold, didst glorify God unceasingly; entreat Him now to give us an understanding and wise heart to discern good and evil, that we may pass well along the road of this passing life and find rest and unfading delight, who extol thee with praises and sing to thee:
Rejoice, fervent confessor of the persecuted faith; rejoice, thou who didst count as nothing the madness of the adversaries; rejoice, thou who didst courageously take upon thee harsh struggles; rejoice, abhorrer of every pleasure and endurer of scorn; rejoice, thou who didst subdue the flesh by vigil and by lying always on the ground; rejoice, thou who didst crush the unruliness of youth by fasting and toil; rejoice, thou who didst put to flight the camps of invisible enemies; rejoice, imitator of the hospitality of Abraham; rejoice, feeder of the hungry and merciful one to the poor; rejoice, thou who teachest sin-loving men the sweetness of self-restraint; rejoice, comforter of the poor and afflicted; rejoice, thou who dispellest defiled thoughts of the heart; Rejoice, holy confessor and fool for Christ, venerable father Gabriel!
When thou didst go out into the small cell in the courtyard of thy house, thou wast zealous in reading the Holy Scriptures and in fervent prayer, and didst ever exercise thy mind in the words of God, and, giving thy soul to drink of the life-giving waters of the Holy Spirit, thou didst live in poverty; and the growth of thy poverty raised thee up to the building of the virtues, and it was made known to thee beforehand from on high by God what work thou wast to come to, when a pillar of light in the shape of a cross appeared to thee in the heavens, and thou didst understand that thou hadst seen thy cross, to be borne even unto Golgotha, and thou didst fervently glorify Christ, the Judge of thy contest: Alleluia.
When by the providence of God thou didst go up to Mtatsminda, to the church of Father David, there thou didst learn the psalter and every order of Christian life, and thy hands served the temple and the priest who served there without weariness; and according to the word of the prophet thou wast as a tree planted by the streams of waters, which bringeth forth its fruit in its season; so also shelter us, O blessed one, from every sin and wickedness, that we may fear the scattering of this our wretched mind, and, gaining the virtues, may say with longing:
Rejoice, thou who by the radiance of thy mind didst behold the Lord at all times; rejoice, thou who didst put on humility as a garment of light; rejoice, thou who knewest what is hidden from the wise and the learned; rejoice, thou who wast refined by most strict fasting and ascetic struggle and pierced through by unceasing prayer; rejoice, thou who repentest with mourning, sighing and weeping even for the involuntary remembrance of sin in the heart; rejoice, thou who by courage of soul givest an example to the faint-hearted and the enfeebled; rejoice, enlightener of the souls of the faithful and banisher of the evil powers; rejoice, overthrower of the insolence of the fighters against God, to the glory of the name of Christ; rejoice, thou who tramplest down the pride of the mighty and the mockery of the devil; rejoice, thou who strengthenest in spirit the Christians long terrified by the lawless; rejoice, thou who makest the speechless eloquent and strengthenest the weak; rejoice, guide of the seekers of truth on the way of the Lord; Rejoice, holy confessor and fool for Christ, venerable father Gabriel!
When the warfare and persecution against holy men grew strong, many put off the monastic schema, and, returning to the world among the laity, married for fear of death; but thou didst choose to run the narrow way that leadeth to the fulness of wide joy, and, being a guardian at Sioni, thou didst serve the altar and the iconostasis with zeal; and when thou hadst built a church in the courtyard of thy house, thou didst seek crosses and icons day by day, and finding them cast out in dishonourable places, thou didst adorn them with thy hand and set them in the temple, which we behold with joy, O holy elder, and in wonder we praise Christ who strengthened thee: Alleluia.
When the devil saw thee entering fervently upon ascetic struggle, he brought many kinds of trials upon thee, that he might quench thy ardour, for God permitted it, as with righteous Job; but thou didst prepare thyself for trials, and when they thrice tore down what thou hadst built, thou didst raise it up again better, for the Lord showed His mercy, and buckets filled with sand were handed up by angels to thee standing on high; and now entreat God to drive away from us every evil by His angels and to direct us on the saving way of repentance, that we may cry out to thee with joy, O venerable one, and call thee blessed with faith:
Rejoice, thou who didst dwell in this great city as in a desert and hadst no care for the glory of this world; rejoice, thou who didst bear on thy shoulders the infirmities of others also; rejoice, thou who with fervent zeal didst uproot all the thoughts of the heart planted by the devil; rejoice, thou who wast clad in spiritual armour and didst go out against the ranks of the invisible enemies; rejoice, thou who wast nurtured by the divine Scriptures and made perfect in wisdom; rejoice, companion of the angels and chastiser of every foul way of life; rejoice, thou who teachest us to live watchfully and soberly; rejoice, lover of the all-glorious icon of the Theotokos, the Portaitissa of Iveron, the foremost intercessor of the Georgians; rejoice, thou who didst adorn and beautify thy church with beautiful faces of icons; rejoice, thou who kindlest as a fire the love of the Lord in the hearts of many; rejoice, thou who askest of her the sweetness of piety for the Iberians; rejoice, thou who wilt snatch up our love to heaven, to the table of the Lord; Rejoice, holy confessor and fool for Christ, venerable father Gabriel!
When Gabriel of Kutaisi saw thy wondrous zeal, he took thee with him as a novice and settled thee at Motsameta; and thou, having had the service of the Church firmly implanted in thee from childhood, didst seek the monastic blessing for the glory of God and the salvation of thy soul; and when they tonsured thee into the lesser schema, they gave thee, according to thy wish, the name of Gabriel the Athonite, to whom thou, a new ascetic, wast joined, for the consolation of thy people, that by imitating thy virtues we may pass well along the way of this transient life and ever sing to God the thrice-holy hymn: Alleluia.
When thou wast ordained hieromonk, thou didst perform the divine services, and at the time of prayer didst gather thy mind before God and never didst forsake His remembrance; but when thou didst return to Tbilisi, thine own household strove, with the coercion of the authorities, that instead of the monastic struggle thou shouldst bear the yoke of marriage; but thou didst persuade a physician of the mentally ill to take thee into their dwelling, and when thou hadst stayed there a short time, thy kinsfolk were dismayed and let thee go according to thy will; and now kindle in our heart the divine fire of zeal, that we may struggle with thy longing and call thee blessed with faith:
Rejoice, gatherer of the good ways of monks and of those who draw near to God; rejoice, thou who didst train thy soul by the most strict monastic rule; rejoice, thou who in weakness didst show forth thy God-given strength; rejoice, utterer of heavenly teachings and interpreter of every order; rejoice, thou who seest through to hidden good deeds and struggles; rejoice, thou who by the lightning of thy words scatterest the mists of sin; rejoice, thou who by thy theologian’s mouth didst speak above the orators; rejoice, apostolic preacher of the right faith; rejoice, teacher of spiritual steadfastness and reverence; rejoice, thou who by the rivers of thy wisdom softenest hearts turned to stone and hardened; rejoice, thou who by divine teaching givest the faithful the tranquillity of Orthodoxy; rejoice, helper and upholder of those who in sorrow and affliction swiftly and fervently call upon thee; Rejoice, holy confessor and fool for Christ, venerable father Gabriel!
Neither affliction nor distress, persecution nor the snare of the devil could separate thee from the love of God, for, called to the ministry of the priesthood, thou didst perform the holy Mysteries with zeal, and, keeping the Holy Scriptures, thou hadst the law of God in thy heart at all times and didst hand it on to others also; and thou didst reprove, rebuke, warn and comfort with all long-suffering and doctrine, according to the word of Paul the apostle, and didst bring into captivity the minds of many to the obedience of Christ; and when you went together on pilgrimage to the monasteries, on the days of the saints’ commemoration you hastened to the church named after them, and if the saints’ tomb was there, you kept vigil through the night and sang to God, who is wondrous in His saints: Alleluia.
When reviling, dishonour and mockery befell thee at all times from the godless, thou didst go to Batumi and pray to God with sighing, asking with streams of tears for deliverance from trials; and the support gave way under thee as thou didst stand on the seashore, and thou didst fall into the whirlpool, but thou wast holding in thy hands the icon of Nicholas the hierarch; and the saint appeared to men standing nearby and told them what had happened, and they hastened to save thee and brought thee up onto dry land; and when they saw that icon with thee, they cried out in wonder: “This aged man called us to help thee”, and they glorified God; entreat Him now, O venerable one, to shelter thy flock from all passions and to enlighten the senses of us who praise thee:
Rejoice, friend of Christ and labourer in His vineyard; rejoice, steadfastness in the right faith granted from heaven; rejoice, radiant luminary of the divine services; rejoice, thou who by great humility didst hide thy wisdom and holiness; rejoice, teacher of divine love; rejoice, cross-bearer and raiser up of the fallen people; rejoice, strength and firmness of the sceptre of kings; rejoice, grace-filled champion and intercessor of the assembly of monks; rejoice, destroyer of the insolence of the demons; rejoice, true image of the piety of the fathers of old and stirrer to valour; rejoice, invincible champion of the Georgian people and protector of our Church; rejoice, praise and glory of thy fatherland; Rejoice, holy confessor and fool for Christ, venerable father Gabriel!
Then they sent thee to Betania, where the wonderworking fathers George and John dwelt, and when they had instructed thee well in the way of service that befitteth faithful Christians and above all monks, thou didst grow strong, O blessed one, and from Christ was given thee the grace of knowing things unseen and hidden; wherefore the enemy of ascetics was eager, O venerable one, to drive thee out of the monastery, but he could not break the power of prayer and the unity of grace, nor take anything from your holiness and struggle, for thou wast beloved by the fathers for thy good virtues, and ever together you gave thanks and sang to God: Alleluia.
First Father John stood before God, and when George called into his tomb, “Christ is risen!”, the dead man sent up a voice of joy: “Truly He is risen!”; and when thy teacher also fell ill, thou didst communicate him with the Mysteries of Christ, and having blessed thee, O blessed one, he committed his soul to the Lord; then by order of the authorities the monastery was closed and a guard was set over it as over a museum; but thou didst begin again to serve at Sioni, and, having good instruction, didst draw to thee a gathering of the faithful; now also be our fellow-traveller as father and teacher, and guide on the way of righteousness us who extol thee:
Rejoice, imitator of the ascetic elders of old; rejoice, great helper and teacher of the flocks of Christ; rejoice, all-radiant lamp and good shepherd of the chosen lambs; rejoice, hope and consolation of the lost sheep; rejoice, guide of those who have gone astray and of all who are directed toward heaven; rejoice, O God-clad one, who by sowing thy words multipliest the wheat of faith; rejoice, chosen one of the monks and boast of those who fast; rejoice, thou who art mighty in spirit, conqueror of rulers mighty in the flesh and loosener of passions; rejoice, merciful one to all the faithful and helper of hierarchs; rejoice, adornment of ascetics and protector of priests of good vigilance; rejoice, swift helper of the bedridden and healer of those given up to death; rejoice, comforter of travellers and calm haven of the storm-tossed; Rejoice, holy confessor and fool for Christ, venerable father Gabriel!
Thou didst become a shepherd of sheep, O venerable one, and in thy wanderings and in thy foolishness for Christ thou didst see great disorder among thy people, for most were very unbelieving and enslaved to the passions, and thou didst find few sheep; but thou didst long, O good elder, for the turning of all from evil, and, as a preacher of repentance in a despised garment, thou didst weep over them with lamentation: “O ye who sit in darkness, with what bonds are ye bound, that we see not the light of Christ and His great glory? But cut these your bonds, that ye may seek and find our God, Christ, and ever glorify His might”: Alleluia.
Seeing the lawlessness of many men, thou wast troubled, O courageous one, for they magnified the images of the fighters against God, but the icon of Christ the King, of His Mother and of all the saints they dishonoured, and the senseless ones did not permit anyone to venerate them; but thou didst withstand the fear of death, and like a lamb for an offering to God thou didst run to burn that idol abhorred of God; and when they saw the burning likeness of that fighter against God, they seized thee, the holy confessor of Christ, and when they asked the cause of thy deed, thou, awaiting death of thine own will, didst name thyself a Christian and say boldly: “Glory is not due to the carcass of a man, but to Christ our God and Saviour, risen from the dead”; entreat Him now, O venerable one, to deliver us from soul-destroying teachings and to grant mercy to us who praise thee:
Rejoice, shepherd of the rational flock, who didst nurture the ignorant with divine knowledge; rejoice, unwearying seeker of sinners and leader to God; rejoice, crusher of the boldness of the evil-believing and converter of heretics; rejoice, reprover of man-hating rulers and judges; rejoice, thou who shamest those who have turned away from the dominion of God and seek the dominion of men; rejoice, scorner of the boast of the mighty and stopper of the mouths of blasphemers; rejoice, destroyer of the mockery of the fighters against God in the time of their exaltation; rejoice, protector from the snares of Satan and from the invasion of foreigners; rejoice, tamer of the unbridled and quencher of the snare of superstition; rejoice, thou who by the grace of thy reproof didst rouse the people from spiritual sleep; rejoice, thou who showest to be ignorant those who think themselves wise, and scatterest the darkness of our mind; rejoice, blesser of God-fearing spouses and rebuker with words of wrath of those overcome by the evil sin of adultery; Rejoice, holy confessor and fool for Christ, venerable father Gabriel!
When they brought thee before the mighty, the persecutors of Christians thought thee deluded and blasphemed Christ; but thou didst fearlessly reprove them, and when thou didst harden the godless still more, they took counsel together to put thee to death and shut thee up in prison; but there thou didst teach the faith to the prisoners, and together you glorified God; and those who at first boasted in their madness that they would slay thee, their insolence came to nothing, O blessed one, and Christ, the rock of steadfastness, sheltered thee wondrously; for when they assigned thee among the insane and the despised, countless trials came upon thee, which none knoweth save God; but the devices of godlessness could not shake the firmness of thy faith, and thou didst ever send up thanks and glory to the Creator and King: Alleluia.
When they released thee at the intercession of the Patriarch, thou didst hasten to the church of Barbara and seek consolation there; but, worn out by torments, thou didst fall asleep, and when thou didst thrice hear a voice: “Gabriel, I weep for thee!”, thou didst awake and straightway draw near to the Crucifix, and thou didst see Jesus shedding tears, and, strengthened, thou didst send up thanksgiving and song; and when thou didst begin again to serve at Sioni, thou didst baptise a multitude of people and give them to drink of the abundance of the gifts of the Holy Spirit; but by the coercion of the godless authorities they barred thee from priestly service and from communion, and as a homeless beggar thou didst dwell in harsh heat and cold in graves and caves, and by thy foolishness for Christ thou didst preach and proclaim the kingdom of God; then some, perceiving the inner adornment of thy soul, obeyed thee with love and called thee blessed, as one fervently zealous and master of the passions:
Rejoice, thou who with a feeble tongue, as with a torch of fire, didst burn up the thorns of blasphemy by the grace of the Holy Spirit; rejoice, rebuker of clergy mingled with worldlings and defiled by many passions; rejoice, reprover of thy people for their godlessness; rejoice, thou who wast belittled and reviled by the clergy; rejoice, thou who seest through the desires of all hearts and the words of foreign tongues, and beholdest hidden passions, snares and wickedness; rejoice, thou who, deified by grace, bestowest abundantly spiritual gifts from the treasuries of the Holy Spirit; rejoice, thou who by a pure mind and a contrite heart didst gain inner vision, and in spirit didst go about elsewhere also; rejoice, thou who didst understand the tongue of the birds of heaven and the beasts of the earth; rejoice, thou who by the sign of the Cross didst turn back the bees that had fled from Betania; rejoice, thou who by the sign of the Cross didst straightway open the locked doors of churches; rejoice, thou who like Spyridon of Trimythous didst show forth wondrously the power of the Trinity of Persons, and, by kneading bread in thy hands, didst separate each one, the wheat, the fire and the water; rejoice, thou who with wisdom didst instruct many fathers and bishops and nurture true monks; Rejoice, holy confessor and fool for Christ, venerable father Gabriel!
None among our fathers hath been like thee, O wondrous elder, for there was given thee by the Holy Spirit the word of wisdom and of knowledge, and by the same Spirit the gifts of healing and of help, and likewise prophecy and the discerning of spirits, and above all the surpassing gift of love; but thou didst humble thyself, according to the teaching of Paul the apostle: “The wisdom of this world is foolishness with God”, and as one despised, a drunkard and good for nothing, thou didst call thyself the Saviour’s dog, and didst not cease to sing to God: Alleluia.
As blessed Andrew gained a good name by humility and patience and that great ascetic became an image of foolishness for Christ, so also thou didst become a fool for Christ’s sake, O courageous one, and taking up that twofold struggle, of seclusion and of foolishness, thou didst many times appear before men as a drunkard, that thou mightest not be made known for virtue and holiness; and thou, the wise one, who wast counted senseless, art now established as a saint of the Church of the Iberians and hast grace before God; may He grant us venerable fathers and wise leaders, that Georgia, this land allotted to the Theotokos, may not be utterly destroyed, but that we all may do justice and with humility offer thee this praise and song:
Rejoice, opener of the mysteries of heaven, for thou didst shine forth among all as a saint in the want of truth in those lawless times, and didst enlighten thy people by thy struggle; rejoice, prophetic father and blessed ascetic, for the human mind cannot attain to the height of thy deification, which the eye cannot fix upon; rejoice, thou who like Elijah wast kindled with the fire of divine zeal, for thou didst reprove the wolf-like servants of God clothed in the skins of sheep, as he did the priests of Baal; rejoice, thou who like Moses didst bear thy cross for forty years, for thou hadst the divine words as tables of stone, full of spiritual wisdom; rejoice, thou who like David the prophet didst gain mercy and meekness, and by the preaching of the Gospel of Christ, as by a well-fitted sling, didst overthrow the wisdom of the godless; rejoice, thou who like John the Baptist didst unweariedly seek out sinners and lead them to God; rejoice, thou who like John the Theologian wast a teacher of love, for like him thou wast told hidden mysteries by the Lord and didst receive authority over unclean spirits; rejoice, for thou didst count it joy to fall into trials, and didst give us this as the reason, that bearing trials with patience worketh the proving of faith; rejoice, for thou wast ever in mourning and in the remembrance of the eternal judgement, and like the first fathers thou didst lament thyself in this very world; rejoice, thou who wast useless to Beliar, whence, lying in a coffin or a pit, stretched out as one dead, thou didst shed tears from thine eyes and begin to wail as men wail over the dead, and didst cry with the thief: “Remember me, O Lord, at Thy second coming in glory”; rejoice, heavenly man, who didst flee the glory that cometh from men; they saw thee at the time of prayer lifted up from the earth, and now thy wondrous deeds, O father, are praised by the lovers of Christ; rejoice, for thou didst entreat the Theotokos for the multiplying of the Georgians, and didst see in sleep the dismembered limbs of countless infants, and when thou wast shaken with fear, the holy Queen appeared to thee with angels and said to thee: “Why dost thou ask me for multiplying, that infants may be slain again in their mothers’ wombs?!” Rejoice, holy confessor and fool for Christ, venerable father Gabriel!
When thou wast grieving, barred from communion and the divine services, Patriarch Ephraim saw thee begging for money and understood how thou didst bear dishonour with humility; and having called thee into the sanctuary clad in priestly vestments, he communicated thee and, by the providence of the Lord, appointed thee to Mtskheta, to the convent of Samtavro; then thou, a citizen of the heavenly Jerusalem, didst settle in the new Jerusalem, the royal city of Mtskheta, near the bramble bush, in a small cell, and, offering the bloodless sacrifice with joy, thou didst preach wondrously and instruct the nuns and the people in the warfare against the enemies invisible and visible, and didst exhort them to prayer; but afterwards thou didst move into the tower of Mirian, and didst adorn it with holy crosses and icons which thou didst fashion with thine own hand, and thou didst glorify Christ in spirit and in truth: Alleluia.
Beholding things to come as though present, by power from on high thou didst work many strange and wondrous signs and miracles in the world for our love, and didst show us the height of humility; and when thou didst fall ill, O venerable one, thou didst endure bitter pains and pass thy days in torment; and when the time of thy departure from this world was made known to thee, thou didst pray before the icon of Nicholas the hierarch and entreat for thy people and fatherland; and when thou didst depart from the body, made fat by good struggle, thou wast joined to the multitude of the saints, and, according to thy testament, they buried thee wrapped in a rush mat like the elders of old; but thy holy relics became for the sick and infirm a treasury of grace and a fountain of signs and healings; therefore we hasten to Samtavro, the dwelling of thy relics, that we too may anoint ourselves with the oil of thy lampada as with a salve, and that we who praise thee may be filled with the healing of souls and bodies:
Rejoice, thou who didst endure struggles for the service of God, for as was meet thou didst offer thyself as a sacrifice, as a hieromonk, and didst enter into the joy of thy good Lord; entreat Him to have mercy on our souls; rejoice, for according to thy promise thou, though dead, comest as one living to heal the infirm, and, blessed here, thou hast shone upon us still more in that eternity; rejoice, thou who art adorned with the crown of confession, who after death shinest brighter than the sun upon our land and unceasingly preachest Christ God; rejoice, for thy grave in the bramble bush hath been given us as strength and a bond of steadfastness, and we boast as possessors of a treasure, for it ungrudgingly bringeth forth true grace and raiseth up all to the glory of God; rejoice, for God willed not that even thy mother who bore thee should fall short of faith in Him and of salvation, and, tonsured a nun in the monastery of Samtavro, she was buried there, near thy tomb; rejoice, thou who by the shining forth of wonders flashest from that holy abode over all the earth, and spreadest spiritual fragrances over our souls and minds; rejoice, leader of grace for those in affliction, for the divine fire that goeth forth from thy tomb burneth the camp of the fighters against God, spreadeth over us the sweet light of victories and driveth away the darkness of sin; rejoice, for not only the faithful and God-fearing, but also the careless and those of little faith hasten to touch thy blood, kept incorrupt until now in a small vessel, and when they entreat thee for mercy, thou ever hearest their supplication and givest consolation to all; rejoice, for when the hierarchs saw thy wondrous grave pouring forth healings, and the countless miracles wrought by thy grace, they magnified thee with a loud voice as a confessor and fool-for-Christ elder, and appointed thy praise and extolling for an eternal memorial; rejoice, thou who by the radiance of thy wonders awakenest thy people, for through the painted icons and likenesses of thee thou makest to well up for us holy and sanctifying myrrh, given by the Holy Spirit; rejoice, for the royal city of Mtskheta is now filled with joy and boasteth, and the convent of Samtavro, which possesseth thy holy relics, leapeth for joy, and these countless peoples, the sons of Kartli, pray unceasingly and praise thy prophecy and wondrous power; rejoice, haven of the drowning and hope of those given up for lost, for thou art a helper of those in trials, and, remembered in supplications, thou workest wonders: by divine power thou grantest us the good fulfilment of our petitions and art a fellow-carer on land and on the seas, for those near and those far off; Rejoice, holy confessor and fool for Christ, venerable father Gabriel!
O holy confessor and fool-for-Christ elder, Archimandrite Gabriel! Christ granted thee the grace to work wonders and so honoured thee in this passing world, and after death He gave thee boldness to intercede for sinners; therefore ask of Him forgiveness of our sins and iniquities, that we too may be made worthy to glorify and sing to Him unto the ages: Alleluia.
This kontakion thrice; then Ikos 1 and Kontakion 1.
O venerable father Gabriel, confessor and fool for Christ! Adornment of monks, crown of priests and companion of the angels, champion of the Georgians and unashamed upholder in afflictions, intercessor before God, and refuge, wall and shelter of all the destitute, of those given up for lost, and of those who fall down before thee in faith.
O companion of the confessors and the fools for Christ, venerable father Gabriel! Thou who didst choose the angelic life and in the dominion of the godless didst put on the holy monastic schema, now by thine intercession and help grant us wisdom, courage and victory to defend our fatherland and our faith; for countless enemies of the truth have conspired with crafty design against the Orthodox and strive by power and lying signs to corrupt the people of the Lord and to make them a people of darkness; but we are given over to sleep and enfeeblement and have no strength to withstand them; yet we have thine intercession before Christ, that He may make us worthy of the fulfilment of thy prophecies and give us an anointed king as ruler and leader, as David was to Israel, that he may govern well and care for our people, the lot of the Theotokos, bearer of the Cross of the Lord upon earth, and restore the unity of our fatherland and exalt the dignity and strength of our land and nation, that our countless enemies may not say, Where is their God, in whom they have hope? By the almighty grace of thy prayer shelter and strengthen the Most Holy and Most Blessed Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, Archbishop of Mtskheta-Tbilisi and Metropolitan of Bichvinta and Tskhum-Abkhazeti, our father Ilia, the most reverend metropolitans, archbishops and bishops and all the priestly and monastic orders, members of the Orthodox Church, and all Orthodox Christians.
O our holy father, Archimandrite Gabriel! As of old thou didst labour for us by thine apostolic toil and fatherly mercy, so also according to thy promise we hope for the recovery of the Icon Not Made by Hands of Anchiskhati and its return to the patriarchal church named in its honour, that it may go before the wondrous appearing of the Icon Not Made by Hands of Atskuri and the glorious coming of the Portaitissa, as unfailing pledges of our deliverance from the snares of Satan and from the delusion and warfare of the evil Antichrist, as the fathers prophesied concerning her, that at the end of the ages she will leave Athos and by the choosing of Iberia will make its dwellers radiantly glorious. But now the counsel of lawlessness hath grown strong, and the people allotted to the Theotokos is fallen through sin and wickedness, and we too, overcome by the assaults of sloth, tremble at the awaited day of the second coming of Christ in glory; but do thou, O holy one, turn from us the terror of the divine judgement for our iniquity, and by thy mercy ask for us from Christ the remission of our countless sins, enlightenment in Orthodoxy, rest through good works, radiance in the kingdom of heaven, singing with the angels, reigning with the saints, and glory and thanksgiving with thee; for to Him befitteth all glory, honour and worship, with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
It is truly meet that we should magnify thee, O Theotokos, who art ever-blessed and all-immaculate and the Mother of our God. More honourable than the Cherubim, and beyond compare more glorious than the Seraphim, who without corruption gavest birth to God the Word, the only Theotokos, we magnify in song.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, both now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
Lord, have mercy. (Thrice)
O Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, through the prayers of Thy most pure Mother, of our venerable father Gabriel the confessor and fool for Christ, and of all the saints, have mercy on us. Amen.
Author and compiler: Tinatin Mchedlishvili
