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Timothy of Thessalio: The Prophet Elias as a model of faith, repentance and living confession of Christtranslated

July 21, 2026 · 1 min read

The Most Reverend Metropolitan of Thessaliotidos and Phanariofersalon, Mr. Timotheus, on Monday, July 20, 2026, on the day of the feast of the Holy Glorious Prophet Helios of Thesvitos, officiated at Orthros and celebrated the Divine Liturgy in the Holy Church of the Prophet Helios of the Local Community of Rizovouni, in the presence of the pious believers, who came with feelings of reverence to honor the great Prophet of the Old Testament and to participate in the worship gathering of the Church.

The feast of the Holy Prophet Helios is every year a special spiritual opportunity for believers to reflect on the importance of unshakable faith, devotion to God and brave confession of the truth. The Prophet Elijah, one of the leading figures of the Old Testament, remains a timeless example of a man who dedicated his entire life to the ministry of God, unceasingly calling the people to repentance and return to the true God.

At the end of the Divine Liturgy, His Holiness addressed paternal teachings to the congregation, taking occasion from the Apostolic Reading of the day, which comes from the Catholic Epistle of the Apostle James and refers to the Prophet Elias. Such as…

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Irene Wilson

The part about the Apostle James reading really stayed with me too — that the prayer of a righteous man has great power. We had a good crowd at our Prophet Elias chapel last year on the feast, and the priest spoke about the same thing. Nice to hear it from Metropolitan Timotheos in Rizovounio.

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ანა კაპანაძე

Thanks for this story. When Metropolitan Timoteos of Rizovunio talked about the Jacobean prayer from that apostolic letter that evening, I really liked it - we were reading the same gospel in church yesterday, and I thought about how the prayer of one Orthodox can do so much. A lot of people always come to Ilias in our Telavi, especially winegrowers.

Николай Атанасов

Metropolitan Timofey has well said about the message of James - that the prayer of the righteous has great power. And we in the youth group last week read this very passage about Elijah and the rain that stopped and fell again. In Plovdiv, on Ilinden, in the "St. Ilia" church, we also gather a lot, especially the people from the neighborhood. Thanks for the article.

Sarah Scott

The bit about Metropolitan Timotheos drawing from James on the power of a righteous man's prayer really hit home. Our youth group read the same passage last month when we hiked up to the little Prophet Elias chapel outside the city, and it made me think how one person's steady prayer can still turn things around, like the rain in the story. Thanks for sharing the details from Rizovounio.

Grace King

The part about Metropolitan Timotheos using the reading from James really stuck with me too, especially how one righteous person's prayer can hold back or bring the rain, like with Elias. We had a small crowd at our Prophet Elias chapel up on the hill last summer, and our priest said almost the same thing. Makes you want to pray more steadily, doesn't it.

Helen Bennett

The bit about Elijah's prayer controlling the rain really hits home. Our little garden in the backyard dried up last July until we started praying for it every evening like James says, and sure enough the rain came just in time. Did your priest mention anything about how Elijah's zeal for the true God ties into our own daily repentance?

Matthew Young

The James reading hits different when you see it lived out like that. Our family tried the same steady evening prayers for our little backyard tomatoes last summer and they perked right up after the third night. Did your priest tie it back to repentance at all, or was it more about the power of one person's prayer?

Basil Young

The James passage on Elijah's prayer is one of those parts that sticks with you on a hike. We read it last summer at our parish men's group before heading up the trail to the little chapel near Wichita, and the way it ties drought, repentance, and rain together still gets me. Did your youth group talk about how that kind of steady prayer might look in everyday life today?

Nicholas Lewis

The James passage always hits me square — Elijah was just a man like us, yet his prayers shut up the sky for years. Our little Prophet Elias chapel here in Toronto drew a decent crowd last July too, though nothing like what you get in Greece. Did the priest at your service mention anything about Elijah’s cave on Mount Horeb?

Elizabeth Johnson

The James part about Elijah's prayer really does make you stop and think. Our choir sang the troparion for him last year at our little Prophet Elias chapel outside Pittsburgh, and I remember thinking the same thing about sticking to steady prayer instead of just when things look bad. Did your priest tie any of it back to the drought of the heart, or was it mostly the rain story?

Борис Илиев

Yes, that's right, the epistle of James shows how powerful the prayer of the righteous is. And we in Burgas, on Ilinden, go to the beach after the service in the "St. Ilia" church in the "Izgrev" district, there are always many people there. Are you from the youth group in Plovdiv yet or are you already in another?

Olivia Lewis

That part about Elijah and the rain is striking, isn't it? Our parish Bible study group looked at the same James passage last week and talked about how his prayers weren't just for weather but came from a life of steady repentance. Did your evening prayers change how you tended the garden too, or was it mostly the rain that helped?

Mary Adams

The James line about Elijah being “a man like us” always sticks with me too. Our bishop didn’t mention the Horeb cave yesterday, but he did talk about how Elijah’s prayer for rain after the drought was basically the fruit of his long repentance and quiet obedience. Have you ever baked prosphora for your Prophet Elias chapel in Toronto? Mine always comes out better after I hike the day before.

The James reading always gets me too—especially how Elijah's steady prayer brought both the drought and then the rain. Our priest here in Dallas tied it straight to the "drought of the heart" idea, saying we let little compromises dry us up until we finally ask God for real change. Did the troparion your choir sang have that same feel of quiet persistence?

Emma Baker

Yeah, that James bit about Elijah shutting up the heavens really stuck with me too. Our choir director mentioned how his prayers grew out of years of quiet obedience, not just dramatic moments. My garden mostly perked up from the rain this year, but I did start adding a short prayer for the soil right after evening prayers—made weeding feel less like a chore. Did your Bible study group try anything practical from that passage?

Grace Thomas

The bit about steady prayer in James always sticks with me too. Our priest in London didn’t go into the drought of the heart this time; he stayed with how Elijah’s prayer wasn’t dramatic show but quiet persistence that actually changed things. Did the troparion feel different to you singing it at that little chapel, or was it the usual melody?