“He laid His hands on them” (Mark 10:16)

“He laid His hands on them” (Mark 10:16)

The act of “touching” is an elemental part of human interaction and placing ones’ hand(s) upon another conveys love, friendship, assurance, empathy, and sympathy. Yet within the Christian Faith, laying on of hands, or “cheirotonia” in Greek, is both a formal and symbolic method of invoking the Holy Spirit to bestow blessings and/or healings in our various rites and ceremonies.

The laying on of hands has been part of priestly religious acts since the Old Testament times. Priests were set apart or ordained through the laying on of hands. As part of their religious duties, priests would lay hands upon the people and then to an animal before sacrificing it, thus transferring the sins of man to that which was then offered to God. The laying on of hands symbolized a transfer of leadership, as when Moses laid his hands upon Joshua prior to his death, as well as transferring spiritual authority.

In the New Testament, Jesus routinely touched or laid His hands upon those who were sick, suffering, or in need of blessings. He also went out of His way to touch that which was seen as unclean by most people (sinners, prostitutes, tax collectors, lepers, and the diseased), thus offering them much needed love, compassion, and hope!

The laying on of hands also continued to be the practice for continuing the apostolic priesthood, by which the apostles laid hands upon those who were set apart to serve God, and then they in like fashion to others, which has carried over to this very day... An unbroken chain of a Holy Priesthood which traces back to Christ Himself!

Fr. John