Servant of God

Servant of God(Latin:Servus Dei) is a title used in theCatholic Churchto indicate that an individual is on the first step toward possiblecanonizationas asaint.

Terminology

The expressionServant of Godappears nine times in theBible,the first five in theOld Testament,the last four in theNew.The Hebrew Bible refers toMosesas "the servant ofElohim"(עֶֽבֶד הָאֱלֹהִ֛ים‘eḇeḏ-hā’ĕlōhîm;1 Chronicles 6:49,2 Chronicles 24:9,Nehemiah 10:29,andDaniel 9:11).Judges 2:8and2 Timothy 2:15refer toJoshuaas "the slave of Yahweh" (עֶ֣בֶד יְהוָ֑ה,‘eḇeḏYahweh).

The New Testament also describes Moses in this way inRevelation 15:3(τοῦ δούλου τοῦ Θεοῦ,tou doulou tou Theou).Paulcalls himself "aservant of God "inTitus 1:1(δοῦλος Θεοῦ,doulos Theou), whileJamescalls himself "aservant of God and the Lord Jesus Christ "(θεοῦ καὶ κυρίου Ἰησοῦ χριστοῦ δοῦλος,Theou kai Kyriou Iēsou Christou doulos) inJames 1:1.1 Peter 2:16describes "servants of God" (Θεοῦ δοῦλοι,Theou douloi) being free to act within the bounds of God's will. Following usage conventions established in theKing James Bible,the word "servant" is never capitalized or used as a title of nobility. ( "The servant is not greater than his lord." )^[1]

Catholic Church

Servant of Godis an expression used for a member of theCatholic Churchwhose life and works are being investigated in consideration for recognition by thePopeand the Catholic Church as a saint inHeaven.^[2]^[3]The termServant of God(Latin:Servus Dei) should not be confused withServus Servorum Dei(Servant of the Servants of God), one of the titles of the Pope.

The termServant of Godis used in the first of the four steps in the canonization process. The next step is being declaredvenerable,upon a decree of heroism ormartyrdomby the honored. That is followed bybeatification,with the title ofBlessed.After the confirmation of miracles resulting from the intercession of the honored, the final step iscanonization,where the honored would receive the title of asaint.^[4]^[5]The process forcanonizationis under the jurisdiction of theDicastery for the Causes of Saints.

Servant of Godis not considered a canonical title in a strict sense by the Catholic Church (as for instance venerable or Blessed are), but only a technical term used in the process of canonization. Hence, any of the faithful can be named aServant of Godin a larger frame of meaning.^[6]

Explanatory notes

^The other isPope Pius VII.

References

^John 13:16;John 15:20;Matthew 25:21
^"Pressing Sainthood for a Beloved Archbishop".(12 December 2004) by Marek Fuchs.The New York Times.Accessed 28 February 2010
^Congregation for the Causes of Saints: New Procedures in the Rite of Beatification
^"John Paul II declared Venerable, moves one step closer to sainthood".CNA.Retrieved 28 February 2010
^Mercedarian Missionaries' founder to be beatified.Archived2012-03-08 at theWayback Machine5 October 2006.Saipan Tribune.Retrieved 28 February 2010
^Congregatio de Causis Sanctorum– Vincenzo Criscuolo, Daniel Ols, Robert J. Sarno (ed.),Le Cause dei Santi. Sussidio per lo Studium,Libreria Editrice Vaticana,3rd edition, Rome 2014, p. 342.

External links

Media related toServants of Godat Wikimedia Commons

[1] The other isPope Pius VII.

[2] John 13:16;John 15:20;Matthew 25:21

[3] "Pressing Sainthood for a Beloved Archbishop".(12 December 2004) by Marek Fuchs.The New York Times.Accessed 28 February 2010

[4] Congregation for the Causes of Saints: New Procedures in the Rite of Beatification

[5] "John Paul II declared Venerable, moves one step closer to sainthood".CNA.Retrieved 28 February 2010

[6] Mercedarian Missionaries' founder to be beatified.Archived2012-03-08 at theWayback Machine5 October 2006.Saipan Tribune.Retrieved 28 February 2010

[7] Congregatio de Causis Sanctorum– Vincenzo Criscuolo, Daniel Ols, Robert J. Sarno (ed.),Le Cause dei Santi. Sussidio per lo Studium,Libreria Editrice Vaticana,3rd edition, Rome 2014, p. 342.

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