Servant of God

Terminology

The expression Servant of God appears nine times in the Bible, the first five in the Old Testament, the last four in the New. The Hebrew Bible refers to Moses as "the servant of Elohim" (עֶֽבֶד הָאֱלֹהִ֛ים ‘eḇeḏ-hā’ĕlōhîm; , , , and ). and refer to Joshua as "the slave of Yahweh" (עֶ֣בֶד יְהוָ֑ה, ‘eḇeḏ Yahweh).

The New Testament also describes Moses in this way in (τοῦ δούλου τοῦ Θεοῦ, tou doulou tou Theou). Paul calls himself "a servant of God" in (δοῦλος Θεοῦ, doulos Theou), while James calls himself "a servant of God and the Lord Jesus Christ" (θεοῦ καὶ κυρίου Ἰησοῦ χριστοῦ δοῦλος, Theou kai Kyriou Iēsou Christou doulos) in . describes "servants of God" (Θεοῦ δοῦλοι, Theou douloi) being free to act within the bounds of God's will. Following usage conventions established in the King James Bible, the word "servant" is never capitalized or used as a title of nobility. ("The servant is not greater than his lord.")

Canonical process

Servant of God is an expression used for a member of the Catholic Church whose life and works are being investigated in consideration for recognition by the Pope and the Catholic Church as a Blessed. The term Servant of God () should not be confused with Servus Servorum Dei (Servant of the Servants of God), one of the titles of the Pope.

The term Servant of God is used in the beginning of a beatification process. The next step is being declared venerable, upon a decree of heroic virtue or martyrdom. That is possibly followed by beatification which means the veneration of the Blessed by the regional church. Finally, canonization can take place, at which point the person is venerated by the universal church. The process for canonization is under the jurisdiction of the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints.

Servant of God is 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 beatification process. Hence, any of the faithful can be named a Servant of God in a larger frame of meaning. As the Church waits upon God to confirm a servant of God's status through a miracle before invoking him or her in public prayer, the church states that "one must also refrain, even outside of Church, from any acts which could mislead the faithful into thinking that the inquiry conducted by the Bishop into the life of the Servant of God and his virtues or martyrdom carries with it the certitude that the Servant of God will be one day canonized".

Explanatory notes

References

References

1. {{bibleref. John. 13:16. 9; {{bibleref. John. 15:20. 9; {{bibleref. Matthew. 25:21. 9
2. [https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E06E7D61E31F931A25751C1A9629C8B63 "Pressing Sainthood for a Beloved Archbishop"]. (12 December 2004) by Marek Fuchs. ''The New York Times''. Accessed 28 February 2010
3. [https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/csaints/documents/rc_con_csaints_doc_20050929_saraiva-martins-beatif_en.html Congregation for the Causes of Saints: New Procedures in the Rite of Beatification]
4. [https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/18120/john-paul-ii-declared-venerable-moves-one-step-closer-to-sainthood "John Paul II declared Venerable, moves one step closer to sainthood"]. ''CNA''. Retrieved 28 February 2010
5. link. (2012-03-08 5 October 2006. ''Saipan Tribune''. Retrieved 28 February 2010)
6. [[Congregation for the Causes of Saints. 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.
7. (20 July 2020). "Q: When—and how—can a "Servant of God" or "Venerable" or "Blessed" be invoked in public prayer?".