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

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...