On August 30th (1998), Andrew Georgievitch Daskalov, an 18 year old Bulgarian boy, departed to the Lord. Andrew suffered for two years from leukemia. In July, he and his family came to Washington in hopes that he could undergo a bone marrow transplant. However, they were too late.
Andrew was an unusually sensitive and spiritually mature young man. Above all, he loved the Lord, and he humbly carried the cross of suffering which had been granted him. He comforted his parents and all those who visited him in the hospital. He frequently and always joyously communed of the Holy Gifts of Christ. On September 1st, on the eve of Andrew’s funeral, his father George accepted Holy Baptism; near him lay the body of the newly translated Andrew. The burial service took place in the parish section of Rock Creek Cemetery.
At this moment we are experiencing both sorrow and joy. A boy who only days ago turned age 18, has left us. By human standards, his departure was premature. We mourn because we will no longer be able to visit him, to speak with him, to share his joy and tears. Everyone who visited him received from him a lesson in how to live. We mourn for his parents, who over the course of two years made heroic efforts and overcame tremendous obstacles in their attempts to save their son’s life. We mourn that in this life Andrew will no longer bring joy to his parents and to us.
However, the Lord turns this, our earthly, human sorrow into spiritual joy. In the short space of time in which he was in Washington, Andrew literally blossomed, as a flower opens up when it is illumined by the sun and nourished by life-giving dew. Andrew was illumined by the light of Christ, Who illumines everyone upon the earth. He received dew in the form of the grace of God which bountifully visited and bolstered him in the final weeks of his life. Andrew communed of the Holy Mysteries of Christ almost every single day. He was surrounded by our fervent prayers, and he himself prayed constantly.
In word and deed, Andrew inspired us to believe more firmly in the life after death. Someone correctly noted that during his last day of life on earth, he came to resemble a young elder.
Andrew patiently carried the cross granted him by the Lord.
Whenever the Lord sends a cross, He also sends by His the grace the strength with which to bear it. Andrew’s life demonstrated the truth of these words.
A detailed account of Andrew’s spiritual struggle serves as a good instruction, through which people may glorify the Lord. Experiencing the spiritual fruits of Andrew’s death, we may now be worthy to appreciate the meaning of the words of the prokimenon “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints.”
Andrew presented an amazing example of meekness, patience, and humility. How he comforted his parents who were shattered by sorrow! For a long time, he refused the increased dosage of morphine offered to him. He understood that if he took greater amounts of that narcotic, he would be sedated, and thus unable to speak with his parents and friends. Andrew said to his mother:
“ Mama, the body is ash, it is corruptible. Earth you are, and to earth will you return. The main thing for us is the soul.”
“Mama, do not mourn for me. We agreed to completely rely on the Lord.”
“Love the Lord more than you do me.”
We, here, were acquainted with Andrew for only five weeks. Despite his condition, he very much loved to talk about God and to speak on spiritual and religious topics. He was acutely interested in history, especially church history. He always asked that prayers be read to him aloud. A group of our parishioners took turns in being in his ward around the clock, in reading at his request various akathists and canons.
Andrew took particular interest in the life and martyric death of Brother Joseph Munoz-Cortes. He avidly listened to stories about the miracles of the Iveron Myrrh-streaming Icon of the Mother of God. Until his death, he lovingly and prayerfully held in his hands Brother Joseph’s prayer rope. Near his bed stood a cross containing a piece of the Life-giving Cross, which he venerated several times a day. When the Cross was first brought to him, he burst into tears and said, “How fortunate I am!”
After celebrating the Liturgy on the feast of the Holy Transfiguration, I made my usual visit in order to commune him of the Holy Gifts. By that time, it was clear that his days were numbered. I wanted to talk to him frankly about death, about eternal life, so that he might prepare himself for his departure. When I suggested that we have a talk, he gave me to understand, through an intense and expressive glance of his large and beautiful eyes, that he perfectly comprehended what was happening. He said: “It would be better for us to pray.”
About noon on Sunday August 30th, three hours before his blessed end, Andrew roused himself from the semi-consciousness into which he had lapsed. Suddenly He raised himself up in bed, looked attentively at those surrounding him - the medical staff, parents and parishioners – raised his index finger and said “Pay attention! Many thanks to all of you. The service will be at 10:00 o’clock. Everyone be attentive…” (We began his funeral service at 10:00 AM.) One of the parishioners there replied “Andy, how good it is to be with the Lord and His grace! Always pray for us, and we will pray for you.”
Andrew promised, and again lapsed into semi-consciousness.
One and one-half hour before his death, Andrew again opened his eyes wide, sat up, fixed his gaze upward, and seemed to see someone or something. Although for the past several days pain had prevented him from moving his right hand, he now raised it high, carefully arranging his fingers in the sign of priestly blessing, and made the sign of the cross over everyone present. One and one-half hours later he quietly departed to the Lord.
Andrew had hoped that his father would accept Holy Baptism and he wanted to be present at the Baptism. And so he was.
On September 1st, Andrew’s body was brought to our church. He was dressed in a white shirt which had belonged to Brother Joseph. After the solemn panikhida, we moved his coffin to the side, and in the center of the church placed another coffin - the font in which Andrew’s father George was to receive Holy Baptism. In that watery coffin, and next to the coffin of his son, Andrew’s father buried with all of his sins his “old man,” and was resurrected into his new Christian life.
Ordinarily, adults undergo catechism - a period during which catechumens acquire the basics of the Holy Faith. Andrew’s father did not go through such a formal catechism, for his own son had opened the truths of the Faith to him…
Let us thank the Lord for allowing His glorious messenger Andrew to visit us. Remember in your prayers the ever-memorable Andrew, his parents George and Victoria, and his brother, the youth Vladimir.