← News feed Church of Greece

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…

Source: Orthodoxia News Agency · Read the full story →

⚑ Report

💬 Comments (9) 🌐 Show original

Иван БогдановGood service in Rizovunio. I remember how Metropolitan Timothy spoke about the letter of James about Elijah - that the prayer of a righteous man is powerful. In Moscow, on Elijah’s Day, there are also always a lot of people in the church, especially fishermen asking for his help. Thanks for the reminder.

Irene WilsonThe 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.

Ა

ანა კაპანაძეThanks 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 АтанасовMetropolitan 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 ScottThe 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 KingThe 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 BennettThe 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 YoungThe 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 YoungThe 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?