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Timothy of Thessalio: "The true glory of the children of God is the Divine Adoption"translated

July 6, 2026 · 1 min read

With the participation of the faithful, the Divine Liturgy was celebrated on Saturday, July 4, 2026, in the Holy Church of the Dormition of the Theotokos Polygon, Athens, where the Most Reverend Metropolitan of Thessaly, Mr. Timotheus officiated. Before the Dismissal, he held a holy Memorial Mass for the repose of a loved one, while afterwards, he addressed a fatherly speech to the congregation, deriving the theme of his speech from the apostolic reading of the day and developing the deep theological content of the "glory of the children of God".

Beginning his speech, he pointed out that the Apostle Paul refers to the glory of God's children, a glory that is radically different from what the world usually perceives. As he pointed out, people often consider the acquisition of gifts, prophecy, teaching, and even the possibility of serving in the Church or performing the Holy Mysteries as the highest honor. These are certainly great blessings and ministries, but they are not in themselves the greatest glory that man can receive from God.

To demonstrate this distinction, the Seventh Shepherd recalled the Lord's words to the seventy disciples, when they...

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Michal Šimko

Today I was interested in the part where Vladyka Timotheos says that neither the gift of prophecy nor serving at the altar is the greatest glory. I realized the exact same thing when I read Romans last week. True glory is to be a child of God by grace, nothing more. Thanks for the reminder.

Анастасия Воробьёва

Thanks for sharing. I was also struck by how Bishop Timothy said that even prophecy and service at the altar are not the greatest glory. Last year, in our classes on the Epistle to the Romans, this very passage was discussed, and then I thought: this is it, the main thing is to simply be a child of God by grace. Simple words, but they sank into my soul.

Magdalena Zielińska

Yes, this place from the book of Romans always moves me. When I read them last year, it also struck me that even altar service or the gift of prophecy are not the true glory. The most important thing is to be an adopted child of God by grace - nothing else is needed. Thank you for the reminder.

Laurent Moreau

Yes, this passage about true glory made me think. Even the gift of prophecy or serving at the altar is not the greatest, as Bishop Timothy says based on the text of Saint Paul. For me, who is just an ordinary mother, it boils down to the basics: being a child of God by grace, nothing more. Thank you for sharing the article.