Page 39 - Reflections on St. Joseph

JOSEPH

A Model for Priestly

Consecrated Life

& of Service

Fr. Michael Odubela, OSJ

he title Servus Servorum Dei was introduced by Pope Gregory I, popularly known as Pope
Gregory the Great, (590-604) as a way of depicting a path of humility for the Pope, other
than reckon with the exalted title of the “Ecumenical Patriarch” granted to the then
Archbishop of Constantinople by the Byzantine Emperor and the title has since been reserved
to the Roman Pontiff. Without prejudice, however, to the reserve usage of the title, I warmly
invite us reflect on it in a broader manner, especially as it applies to us in the
Priestly/Consecrated life, as Oblates of St. Joseph who are called to serve in love and, moreover,
as it invites us to cast our reflection on the
imitation of St. Joseph, who no doubt lived the
title out as an office his entire life (cf.
Redemptoris Custos 8).

The title Servus servorum Dei is rooted in the
Gospel, as it can easily be implied from the
passage where Jesus indicated that whoever
wants to be great among his disciples must be
ready to be the servant (cf. Mt 20:25-27).
‘Servant leadership’ was the style of Christ the
Lord who says of Himself, “I am among you as
one who serves” (Lk 22:27). Jesus by this
saying contrasts the position of the servant
leader to that of a “boss leader” who sits at table
“
and waits to be served. It is very clear that what
the Lord refers to here is the disposition of the
leader other than the position occupied. A Servus Servorum Dei
leader with the right disposition humbles
himself to be a model of service for those under - Pope St. Gregory the Great

Reflections on st. joseph 15