The Akathist to St. Gabriel of Samtavro is a prayer read in honor of this great saint, known for his profound understanding of God’s love and his ability to assist people in their spiritual searches. Reading this akathist helps to deepen one’s understanding of St. Gabriel’s life and receive his spiritual guidance.
Entrance
Troparion of St. Gabriel of Samothrace, Tone 8
Never desiring your own glory, but only the glory of God, you appeared as a fool in Christ, venerable Father Gabriel, and did not bow to idols, offering yourself as a whole burnt offering to God, and you built the temple of God, and made your soul a beautiful temple, and you appeared as a pure mirror of divine love.
Venerable Father Gabriel, blessed one, confessor and righteous one, pray to Christ God to water us with that love.
Kondak, Tone 5
You shone like a lamp in times of unbelief, and you became a dawn of piety for all; therefore, the Lord glorified you, revealing to you His hidden and secret things: Venerable Father Gabriel, pray to the merciful God to have mercy on our souls through repentance.
“I leave you my love as an example.”
St. Gabriel of Samothrace
Kondak 1
You preferred the foolishness of the cross of Christ to the wisdom of this age, and you considered all the sweetness and flattery of the world to be like the filth of the pit, venerable Father Gabriel. And you took up your cross, following Christ alone from childhood to your last breath. And thus you entered the Heavenly Kingdom, where you now stand before your Lord, praying for us who sing to you:
Rejoice, blessed Gabriel, leaving your love as an example for us.
Icos 1
You found the Gospel like a treasure hidden in the field, and you spent all your joy in acquiring it, so that you might acquire Christ, and like a purchased slave in the vineyard of the Lord, you did everything without hesitation. And we sing to you:
Rejoice, maker of the first hour;
Rejoice, as a slave who did nothing, but considered himself to be;
Rejoice, like Apostle Andrew, not delaying at the call of Christ;
Rejoice, like Peter, receiving him with a warm heart;
Rejoice, not hiding anything from Him;
Rejoice, good earth, on which the seed sprouts and bears fruit;
Rejoice, talents given by God, multiplied many times;
Rejoice, blessed Gabriel, leaving your love as an example for us.
Kondak 2
You were not yet aware of sin, but you armed yourself against your flesh, as the Apostle said, “The flesh desires the Spirit.” You did not know satiety or a soft bed, but you were diligent in reading the Gospel and in prayer. We are amazed at your zeal for God, saying to Him:
Alleluia
Ikos 2
Enraged by your exploits, the devil appeared to you openly, seeking to avenge himself. However, the Lord, from your birth, guarded you as His chosen vessel, preserving you by His grace. And we call out to you thus:
Rejoice, O youth, having no regard for pity;
Rejoice, O youth, contending against the devil;
Rejoice, O youth, not departing from the example of your mother;
Rejoice, O youth, having despised your very soul in this world;
Rejoice, having come in the measure of the ancient fathers in vigilance and asceticism;
Rejoice, blessing others to strive in accordance with their strength;
Rejoice, offering your flesh as a living, holy, and acceptable sacrifice to the Lord;
Rejoice, preserving the paths of the Lord’s words;
Rejoice, blessed Gabriel, leaving your love as a teaching for us;
Kondak 3
You endured many wanderings, O father, even as a youth, traveling from monastery to monastery, until you came to Bethany, where you found your spiritual fathers, with whom you now feast with Christ, your beloved, in a hymn of praise:
All-hail
Ikos 3
After receiving the dignity of monk, priest, and archimandrite, you did not have a fixed abode for many years of your life. And you lived among the graves, amidst many tombs, sustaining yourself on alms, and thus following the Lord, who has no place to lay His head. Therefore, we are taught by your following Christ and call out to you thus:
Rejoice, O fugitive, as all who desire to live a blameless life in Christ;
Rejoice, O apostle of the Lord, sent without gold or silver;
Rejoice, O ascetic, unknown to anyone until the time;
Rejoice, beloved and revered by all;
Rejoice, having conquered fear forever by your life among the tombs;
Rejoice, having learned to fear one sin;
Rejoice, considering hunger and cold as nothing, for the sake of Christ’s love;
Rejoice, saying, “We learn faith and love from our sufferings”;
Rejoice, blessed Gabriel, leaving your love as a teaching for us;
Kondak 4
The Church of Christ, once desolate, Thou didst restore, O Father Gabriel, even as a child playing, a youth bearing heavy stones and rebuilding the church, which had been destroyed, at the behest of Saint George. Thus, even now, the faithful come to hymn God in Thy beautiful temple:
All-hail!
Icos 4
O Father Gabriel, Thou didst labor to create holy things and gather images in homes, that the sacrifice might be offered to God and the mysteries be performed. Thus, may the churches, which have been destroyed, be restored in the hearts of men, and may prayer be lifted up to God in them. For this reason, we, who are grateful, cry out thus:
Rejoice, O blessed guardian of holy things;
Rejoice, O protector of icons, which had been neglected;
Rejoice, O icon of God, beheld by every man;
Rejoice, O restorer of the image, which had been destroyed by man;
Rejoice, O creator and restorer of Thy beautiful temple;
Rejoice, O one to whom angels serve as assistants;
Rejoice, O one who hast prepared Thy temple, a holy and pure vessel, for the service of God;
Rejoice, O one whose relics now pour forth grace;
Rejoice, O blessed Gabriel, who hast left Thy love as a teaching for us;
Kondak 5
O holy Father, Thou didst say that it befits a monk to be steadfast in the truth. Thou didst bear witness to Thy faith even to the point of blood and death, when Thou didst go forth onto the square, like one at a funeral, similar to the ancient martyrs, preferring death for the sake of Christ to agreement with idolatrous worship. We, who are unable to imitate Thy boldness, cry out to Him who strengthened Thee:
All-hail!
Icos 5
Thou didst walk steadfastly, O Father, to sufferings and death, when Thou didst burn the idol’s image with fire, proclaiming the Lord’s commandment, which says, “Thou shalt not make for thyself an idol, nor any likeness of it.” Thou didst teach Thy flock to worship God alone. Therefore, we, who are weak in faith, hymn Thee thus:
Rejoice, O inspired preacher of the faith;
Rejoice, O good shepherd, who carest for Thy flock;
Rejoice, O one who desired to suffer for Christ;
Rejoice, O one who endured severe sufferings in prison and among the mad;
Rejoice, O one who escaped death only by the power of God;
Rejoice, O one who was considered a fool by the world;
Rejoice, O one who became a rebuke to the world;
Rejoice, O one who brought joy to the Church in the new era;
Rejoice, O blessed Gabriel, who hast left Thy love as a teaching for us;
Condak 6
As a most diligent monk, Father Gabriel, you preserved all the commandments, especially humility, as an unquenchable flame to God. Even as a youth, you made your cell a dung heap, considering yourself as nothing. You undertook the feat of foolishness, presenting yourself as a fool, a beggar, and the last of sinners. We, therefore, extol your feat and sing to the crucified Christ, who humbled Himself:
Alluia
Icos 6
You taught, Father, that your children should acquire humility, as an entrance to Paradise, and often instructed them to resist the pride of sin. You truly lived this teaching, never revealing your own gifts, but rather revealing them discreetly for the benefit of the faithful. We, bound by our own pride, like many chains, cry out to you:
Rejoice, for you have made the ruin of a monk into praise;
Rejoice, for you have pitied, comforted, and loved those who have wronged, insulted, and mocked you;
Rejoice, for you have seen your own exaltation as an abomination before the Lord;
Rejoice, for you have seen only foolishness, which is ignorance of oneself, in your condemnation;
Rejoice, for you have asked those who come to you, even if they are sinners;
Rejoice, for you have truly confessed yourself as a sinner;
Rejoice, for you have revealed the power of God through your humble preaching;
Rejoice, for you have entered the Kingdom of Heaven without hindrance, like a child;
Rejoice, blessed Gabriel, who have left your love as a teaching for us.
Condak 7
You bore the sorrows of your people in your heart, Father Gabriel, for Georgia, the inheritance of the God-bearing Mother, and zealously sent up prayers, saying, “Woe to the monk who does not pray for his people.” For this paternal zeal, we sing with you to the Father of all, God:
Alluia
Icos 7
You foretold, Father, the resurrection of Georgia, which was in the darkness of unbelief, and the Church of Georgia, which was persecuted, as Lazarus, but through great trials. You were a spiritual child of the holy Nina and the assembly of the Georgian saints. However, you were also a brother and companion in Christ to the Egyptian Macarius and the Serafim of Sarov. And now, all the ends of the earth sing to you:
Rejoice, for you have sorrowed for Georgia with your heart until your own end;
Rejoice, for you did not desire to be transferred to Mount Athos;
Rejoice, for you have foreseen the spiritual enlightenment of your people;
Rejoice, for you have proclaimed the glory of Georgia before the Second Coming;
Rejoice, for you have said, “I carry love for all the Orthodox people, before my end”;
Rejoice, for you have called Georgia and half of Russia by the sign of the Cross;
Rejoice, faithful son of Georgia, who suffers;
Rejoice, loving father Gabriel, who have left your love as a teaching for us.
Condak 8
Thou wert merciful and compassionate from thy childhood, O Father Gabriel, and having completed the ascetic struggle, thou didst shine forth through confession, and didst attain to the love of Christ, which is the fulfillment of the law. By that love of thine, we, both near and far, having been warmed, do give thanks to the All-Good Provider:
Alluia
Icos 8
Thou didst reveal to us, O venerable Father, the image of perfect love in Christ Jesus, which doth not envy, doth not think evil, but rejoiceth in the truth, endureth all things, and believeth all things, which never faileth. Thou didst receive every human being into the embrace of thy soul. Therefore, we, thy children, do call to thee:
Rejoice, thou whose heart was set aflame with Christ, as was that of the apostle on the road to Emmaus;
Rejoice, thou who always seest Christ in thy neighbor;
Rejoice, thou who hast been given the gift of seeing the love of Christ in human souls;
Rejoice, thou who hast been given the gift of a memory that never faileth;
Rejoice, thou who hast never given up to forgetfulness one who hath seen thee;
Rejoice, thou who dost rebuke their sins with love;
Rejoice, thou who dost call a man without love a vessel without a bottom;
Rejoice, thou who didst sacrifice thy soul for thy neighbor, O venerable Paisius;
Rejoice, blessed Gabriel, thou who hast left thy love as a teaching for us.
Condak 9
Thy prayer, O blessed one, hath reached the heavens, for it was offered with humility, fear of God, and tears. Thou didst receive the gift of tears, and didst shut thyself up in thy cell for months, weeping like the venerable Siluan, for thy sins, for thy native land, and for all Adam. For this reason, thou dost pray for us, thy supplicants, to God, who singeth:
Alluia
Icos 9
Thou didst especially exhort us, O vigilant pastor, that the prayer should not be in vain, and that good deeds should follow the prayer – thus it is fitting to pray. Pray also, and do not fulfill the commandments – this is to pray evilly, thus thou didst speak and act. And we, thy flock, do call to thee:
Rejoice, thou who dost command God to stand in awe;
Rejoice, thou who dost rebuke those who pray without zeal, and dost not merely speak empty words;
Rejoice, thou who dost forbid God to be trifled with;
Rejoice, thou who dost call a prayer without deeds dead;
Rejoice, thou who dost teach us to pray for our neighbors, for this is the teaching of love;
Rejoice, thou who dost instruct us to pray for our enemies, and thus to reach them;
Rejoice, thou who dost cry out to God in prayer, like a child to its mother, who is far away;
Rejoice, thou who dost repent more with thy heart than with tears;
Rejoice, blessed Gabriel, thou who hast left thy love as a teaching for us.
Condak 10
Thou hast preserved the Orthodox faith, handed down from the Fathers, steadfastly, O venerable Gabriel, as the Fathers have spoken, for there is no salvation for the adulterer, but rather for the heretic, since you have said that there is no salvation except through the Lord Jesus Christ, Who is the Truth and the Life. Therefore, we, learning from your steadfastness in the faith, offer a hymn of praise to God, the zealous One:
Allioulia
Icos 10
Thou hast said, O Father, filled with love for every human being, that one must shun heretics, saying, “For it has been commanded by the Lord, do not give holy things to dogs, nor cast your pearls before swine, nor do you mix heresy with heresy, as ecumenism, which calls Christ a traitor.” Therefore, we, who are more concerned with being pleasing to men than to God, call to you:
Rejoice, for you have allowed your faith to be blasphemed, equating it with destruction;
Rejoice, for you have considered those living outside the Church as blasphemers;
Rejoice, for you have commanded us to give thanks to God for our birth in the Orthodox faith;
Rejoice, for you have warned us not to be saved in other faiths;
Rejoice, for you have extended your love even to your enemies;
Rejoice, for you have shown us the right path through your example;
Rejoice, for you have foretold the times of Antichrist;
Rejoice, for you have taught us to have faith in our hearts, and not in reason;
Rejoice, blessed Gabriel, for you have left us your love as a teaching;
Condak 11
Thou hast been a wondrous ascetic, O Father, and the Lord has exalted thee, a sinner, to the heights, enriching thee with spiritual gifts, as thou didst humble thyself in thy cell, conscious of thy own sins. Thou hadst the power to remove all evil thoughts from thy mind and to leave only what is beneficial for the Kingdom of Heaven. By the power of the Lord working in thee, we have been amazed, and we say to the Lord, who is wondrous in His saints:
Allioulia
Icos 11
Thou hast healed many, O Father, by revealing their thoughts and the secrets of their souls. By thy prayer, a great rain ceased, when it was necessary to bury the deceased. Thou didst persevere in fasting and vigil, hiding thy gifts and the radiance of thy soul. Now, we, bowing down before thy icon and asking for thy help, cry out thus:
Rejoice, for you have surpassed the measure of mortals with your gifts;
Rejoice, for you have given deep repentance through your words;
Rejoice, for you have told of the events that took place in another monastery;
Rejoice, for you have blessed the hearing of the Word of God by the unborn child;
Rejoice, for the Lord has given you to see the depths of human souls;
Rejoice, for you have sat at the Lord’s table, an apostle of love;
Rejoice, for the Lord has revealed to you His hidden and secret things;
Rejoice, for you have testified that God’s wisdom is greater than human wisdom;
Rejoice, blessed Gabriel, for you have left us your love as a teaching;
Condak 12
Thou who dwellest in the last times, thou hast taught thy flock that now God demands from us love, which surpasses the multitude of transgressions, for only by love can a man stand firm in faith before the end of the age. And as the creator and teacher, thou now bringest to the Most Holy Trinity, with the ranks of the bodiless, a blessed hymn:
Alluia
Icos 12
Thou hast taught, O holy father, that in love there is the perfection of virtues, and this is the ultimate deification. Therefore, the enemy of man raises against it the highest battle, grieving exceedingly over it. For this reason, it is fitting to prefer the deeds of love to all else, for without deeds, one is dead. We, however, wish to inherit a drop of this, and therefore we sing to thee:
Rejoice, O five wise maidens, who art likened unto thee;
Rejoice, O creator and teacher;
Rejoice, O wise one who worketh and inviteth to work;
Rejoice, O one who sayest that love is a contest given to our time;
Rejoice, O one who hast taught us this, placing thy care above all else;
Rejoice, O one who sayest that prayer for mercy is like the mercy of God;
Rejoice, O servant and steward of love, for this is the Lord Himself;
Rejoice, O one who sayest that without Christ, all is nothing;
Rejoice, O blessed Gabriel, who hast left thy love as a teaching for us;
Condak 13
O blessed father, thou who art a struggler and preacher, a faithful servant of Christ, who hast hidden all thy life in Him and, after thy departure, hast found thy treasure in Him, as thou thyself didst foretell. Now, standing before the Lord’s throne with the angels and all the saints, pray for us, O Mother Gabriel, with the supplication of those who turn to thee, and entreat the merciful Lord to pour upon our hearts, which have withered with pride, a drop of thy blessed hope, faith, and love. Let us sing with thee: Alluia. (Three times)
(This Condak is read three times. Then Icos 1 and Condak 1)
Prayer to Saint Gabriel of Samtavro
O holy father, blessed Gabriel, thou who art like the ancient saints and a steadfast preacher, who from thy youth hast received the words of the Lord and hast followed them with zeal! Behold, we, lazy and cunning slaves, stand before thee with prayer, having no deeds like thine, nor humility, but rather exalting and glorifying ourselves every day, and seeking enemies outside ourselves! We have nothing to justify ourselves before God! But pray for us, O father, that the Lord may grant us the strength to understand His word and to fulfill it, as He revealed it to thee from thy youth. May we, who call ourselves Christians, not be mere hearers who are scattered, but also doers. May we understand our own existence, that we can do nothing without the help of God. And may we seek Him and love Him, and may we cleave to Him with all our soul, with all our heart, with all our thoughts, and may our heart be, according to thy word, given to the Lord. And may He grant us a pledge of salvation in our souls, joy, peace, and love in our hearts, reconciliation among all our discordant members, consolation in all our sorrows, not from our own deeds, but through thy prayers, by His boundless mercy, to Whom glory and dominion are in the ages of ages.
Amen.