The final doxology, "For the kingdom, the power and the Glory are yours, now and forever," takes up again, by inclusion, the first three petitions to our Father: the glorification of his name, the coming of his reign, and the power of his saving will. But these Prayers are now proclaimed as adoration and thanksgiving, as in the liturgy of heaven. 176 The ruler of this world has mendaciously attributed to himself the three titles of kingship, power, and glory. 177 Christ, the Lord, restores them to his Father and our Father, until he Hands over the kingdom to him when the mystery of salvation will be brought to its completion and God will be all in all. 178

The Church who, as Mother, has borne the Christian Sacramentally in her womb during his earthly pilgrimage, accompanies him at his journey's end, in order to surrender him "into the Father's Hands." She offers to the Father, in Christ, the child of his Grace, and she commits to the earth, in hope, the seed of the body that will rise in Glory. 184 This offering is fully celebrated in the Eucharistic sacrifice; the blessings before and after Mass are sacramentals.

Sacramentals are instituted for the sanctification of certain ministries of the Church, certain states of life, a great variety of circumstances in Christian life, and the use of many things helpful to man. In accordance with Bishops' pastoral decisions, they can also respond to the needs, culture, and Special history of the Christian people of a particular region or time. They always include a Prayer, often accompanied by a specific sign, such as the laying on of Hands, the sign of the cross, or the sprinkling of holy water (which recalls Baptism).

The essential rite of the Sacrament of Holy Orders for all three degrees consists in the Bishop's imposition of Hands on the head of the ordinand and in the bishop's specific consecratory Prayer asking God for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit and his Gifts proper to the ministry to which the candidate is being ordained. 60

Since the Second Vatican Council the Latin Church has restored the diaconate "as a proper and permanent rank of the hierarchy," 58 while the Churches of the East had always maintained it. This permanent diaconate, which can be conferred on married men, constitutes an important enrichment for the Church's mission. Indeed it is appropriate and useful that men who carry out a truly diaconal ministry in the Church, whether in its liturgical and pastoral life or whether in its social and charitable works, should "be strengthened by the imposition of Hands which has come down from the Apostles. They would be more closely bound to the altar and their ministry would be made more fruitful through the Sacramental Grace of the diaconate." 59

"At a lower level of the hierarchy are to be found deacons, who receive the imposition of Hands 'not unto the priesthood, but unto the ministry."' 53 At an ordination to the diaconate only the Bishop lays hands on the candidate, thus signifying the deacon's Special attachment to the bishop in the tasks of his "diakonia." 54

"All Priests, who are constituted in the order of priesthood by the Sacrament of Order, are bound together by an intimate sacramental brotherhood, but in a Special way they form one priestly body in the diocese to which they are attached under their own Bishop. . ;" 52 The unity of the presbyterium finds liturgical expression in the custom of the presbyters' imposing Hands, after the bishop, during the Ate of ordination.

"Episcopal consecration confers, together with the office of sanctifying, also the offices of teaching and ruling.... In fact ... by the imposition of Hands and through the words of the consecration, the Grace of the Holy Spirit is given, and a sacred character is impressed in such wise that Bishops, in an eminent and visible manner, take the place of Christ himself, teacher, shepherd, and priest, and act as his representative (in Eius perSona agant)." 37 "By virtue, therefore, of the Holy Spirit who has been given to them, bishops have been constituted true and authentic teachers of the Faith and have been made pontiffs and pastors." 38

To fulfil their exalted mission, "the Apostles were endowed by Christ with a Special outpouring of the Holy Spirit coming upon them, and by the imposition of Hands they passed on to their auxiliaries the Gift of the Spirit, which is transmitted down to our day through episcopal consecration." 35

Integration into one of these bodies in the Church was accomplished by a rite called ordinatio, a religious and liturgical act which was a consecration, a blessing or a Sacrament. Today the word "ordination" is reserved for the sacramental act which integrates a man into the order of Bishops, presbyters, or deacons, and goes beyond a simple election, designation, delegation, or institution by the community, for it confers a Gift of the Holy Spirit that permits the exercise of a "sacred power" (sacra potestas) 5 which can come only from Christ himself through his Church. Ordination is also called consecratio, for it is a setting apart and an investiture by Christ himself for his Church. the laying on of Hands by the bishop, with the consecratory Prayer, constitutes the visible sign of this ordination.

It is incumbent on those who exercise authority to strengthen the values that inspire the confidence of the members of the group and encourage them to put themselves at the service of others. Participation begins with education and culture. "One is entitled to think that the future of humanity is in the Hands of those who are capable of providing the generations to come with reaSons for life and optimism." 34

The New Law or the Law of the Gospel is the perfection here on earth of the divine law, natural and revealed. It is the work of Christ and is expressed particularly in the Sermon on the Mount. It is also the work of the Holy Spirit and through him it becomes the interior law of charity: "I will establish a New Covenant with the house of Israel. . . . I will put my laws into their Hands, and write them on their hearts, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people." 19

In the New Testament, the word basileia can be translated by "kingship" (abstract noun), "kingdom" (concrete noun) or "reign" (action noun). the Kingdom of God lies ahead of us. It is brought near in the Word incarnate, it is proclaimed throughout the whole Gospel, and it has come in Christ's death and Resurrection. the Kingdom of God has been coming since the Last Supper and, in the Eucharist, it is in our midst. the kingdom will come in Glory when Christ Hands it over to his Father:

In this Paschal and sacrificial Prayer, everything is recapitulated in Christ: 45 God and the world; the Word and the flesh; eternal life and time; the love that Hands itself over and the sin that betrays it; the disciples present and those who will believe in him by their word; humiliation and Glory. It is the prayer of unity.

It is always possible to pray: the time of the Christian is that of the risen Christ who is with us always, no matter what tempests may arise. 36 Our time is in the Hands of God:

But the one name that contains everything is the one that the Son of God received in his incarnation: Jesus. the divine name may not be spoken by human lips, but by assuming our humanity the Word of God Hands it over to us and we can invoke it: "Jesus," "YHWH saves." 16 The name "Jesus" contains all: God and man and the whole economy of creation and salvation. To pray "Jesus" is to invoke him and to call him within us. His name is the only one that contains the presence it signifies. Jesus is the Risen One, and whoever invokes the name of Jesus is welcoming the Son of God who loved him and who gave himself up for him. 17

We learn to pray at certain moments by hearing the Word of the Lord and sharing in his Paschal mystery, but his Spirit is offered us at all times, in the events of each day, to make Prayer spring up from us. Jesus' teaching about praying to our Father is in the same vein as his teaching about providence: 12 time is in the Father's Hands; it is in the present that we encounter him, not yesterday nor tomorrow, but today: "O that today you would hearken to his voice! Harden not your hearts." 13

When the hour had come for him to fulfill the Father's plan of love, Jesus allows a glimpse of the boundless depth of his filial Prayer, not only before he freely delivered himself up (“Abba . . . not my will, but yours."), 53 but even in his Last words on the Cross, where prayer and the Gift of self are but one: "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do", 54 "Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise", 55 "Woman, behold your Son" - "Behold your mother", 56 "I thirst."; 57 "My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?" 58 "It is finished"; 59 "Father, into your Hands I commit my spirit!" 60 until the "loud cry" as he expires, giving up his spirit. 61

The Temple of Jerusalem, the house of Prayer that David wanted to build, will be the work of his Son, Solomon. the prayer at the dedication of the Temple relies on God's promise and covenant, on the active presence of his name among his People, recalling his mighty deeds at the Exodus. 29 The king lifts his Hands toward heaven and begs the Lord, on his own behalf, on behalf of the entire people, and of the generations yet to come, for the forgiveness of their sins and for their daily needs, so that the nations may know that He is the only God and that the heart of his people may belong wholly and entirely to him.

God can reveal the future to his prophets or to other saints. Still, a sound Christian attitude consists in putting oneself confidently into the Hands of Providence for whatever concerns the future, and giving up all unhealthy curiosity about it. Improvidence, however, can constitute a lack of responsibility.

The first commandment condemns polytheism. It requires man neither to believe in, nor to venerate, other divinities than the one true God. Scripture constantly recalls this rejection of "idols, (of) silver and gold, the work of men's Hands. They have mouths, but do not speak; eyes, but do not see." These empty idols make their worshippers empty: "Those who make them are like them; so are all who trust in them." 42 God, however, is the "living God" 43 who gives life and intervenes in history.

To the Lord's Sermon on the Mount it is fitting to add the moral catechesis of the apostolic teachings, such as Romans 12-15, 1 Corinthians 12-13, Colossians 3-4, Ephesians 4-5, etc. This doctrine Hands on the Lord's teaching with the authority of the Apostles, particularly in the presentation of the virtues that flow from Faith in Christ and are animated by charity, the principal Gift of the Holy Spirit. "Let charity be genuine.... Love one another with brotherly affection.... Rejoice in your hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in Prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints, practice hospitality." 29 This catechesis also teaches us to deal with cases of conscience in the light of our relationship to Christ and to the Church. 30

The celebration of the Sacrament includes the following principal elements: the "Priests of the Church" 132 - in silence - lay Hands on the Sick; they pray over them in the Faith of the Church 133 - this is the epiclesis proper to this sacrament; they then anoint them with oil blessed, if possible, by the Bishop. These liturgical actions indicate what Grace this sacrament confers upon the sick.

The risen Lord renews this mission ("In my name . . . they will lay their Hands on the Sick, and they will recover." 115 ) and confirms it through the signs that the Church performs by invoking his name. 116 These signs demonstrate in a Special way that Jesus is truly "God who saves." 117

"God fashioned man with his own Hands [that is, the Son and the Holy Spirit] and impressed his own form on the flesh he had fashioned, in such a way that even what was visible might bear the divine form." 65

The hand. Jesus heals the Sick and blesses little children by laying Hands on them. 51 In his name the Apostles will do the same. 52 Even more pointedly, it is by the Apostles' imposition of hands that the Holy Spirit is given. 53 The Letter to the Hebrews lists the imposition of hands among the "fundamental elements" of its teaching. 54 The Church has kept this sign of the all-powerful outpouring of the Holy Spirit in its Sacramental epicleses.

"and I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself." 541 The lifting up of Jesus on the cross signifies and announces his lifting up by his Ascension into heaven, and indeed begins it. Jesus Christ, the one priest of the new and eternal Covenant, "entered, not into a sanctuary made by human Hands. . . but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf." 542 There Christ permanently exercises his priesthood, for he "always lives to make intercession" for "those who draw near to God through him". 543 As "high priest of the good things to come" he is the centre and the principal actor of the liturgy that honours the Father in heaven. 544

The cup of the New Covenant, which Jesus anticipated when he offered himself at the Last Supper, is afterwards accepted by him from his Father's Hands in his agony in the garden at Gethsemani, 434 making himself "obedient unto death". Jesus prays: "My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me. . ." 435 Thus he expresses the horror that death represented for his human nature. Like ours, his human nature is destined for eternal life; but unlike ours, it is perfectly exempt from sin, the cause of death. 436 Above all, his human nature has been assumed by the divine perSon of the "Author of life", the "Living One". 437 By accepting in his human will that the Father's will be done, he accepts his death as redemptive, for "he himself bore our sins in his body on the tree." 438

At the end of the parable of the lost sheep Jesus recalled that God's love excludes no one: "So it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish." 410 He affirms that he came "to give his life as a ransom for many"; this Last term is not restrictive, but contrasts the whole of humanity with the unique perSon of the redeemer who Hands himself over to save us. 411 The Church, following the Apostles, teaches that Christ died for all men without exception: "There is not, never has been, and never will be a single human being for whom Christ did not suffer." 412

The religious authorities in Jerusalem were not unanimous about what stance to take towards Jesus. 380 The Pharisees threatened to excommunicate his followers. 381 To those who feared that "everyone will believe in him, and the Romans will come and destroy both our holy place and our nation", the high priest Caiaphas replied by prophesying: "It is expedient for you that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation should not perish." 382 The Sanhedrin, having declared Jesus deserving of death as a blasphemer but having lost the right to put anyone to death, Hands him over to the Romans, accusing him of political revolt, a charge that puts him in the same category as Barabbas who had been accused of sedition. 383 The chief Priests also threatened Pilate politically so that he would condemn Jesus to death. 384

From the Incarnation to the Ascension, the life of the Word incarnate is surrounded by the adoration and service of angels. When God "brings the firstborn into the world, he says: 'Let all God's angels worship him.'" 196 Their Song of praise at the birth of Christ has not ceased resounding in the Church's praise: "Glory to God in the highest!" 197 They protect Jesus in his infancy, serve him in the desert, strengthen him in his agony in the garden, when he could have been saved by them from the Hands of his enemies as Israel had been. 198 Again, it is the angels who "evangelize" by proclaiming the Good News of Christ's Incarnation and Resurrection. 199 They will be present at Christ's return, which they will announce, to serve at his judgement. 200

Creation has its own goodness and proper perfection, but it did not spring forth complete from the Hands of the Creator. the universe was created "in a state of journeying" (in statu viae) toward an ultimate perfection yet to be attained, to which God has destined it. We call "divine providence" the dispositions by which God guides his creation toward this perfection:

The Old Testament suggests and the New Covenant reveals the creative action of the Son and the Spirit, 132 inseparably one with that of the Father. This creative co-operation is clearly affirmed in the Church's rule of Faith: "There exists but one God. . . he is the Father, God, the Creator, the author, the giver of order. He made all things by himself, that is, by his Word and by his Wisdom", "by the Son and the Spirit" who, so to speak, are "his Hands". 133 Creation is the common work of the Holy Trinity.

"Indeed, the Church, though scattered throughout the whole world, even to the ends of the earth, having received the Faith from the Apostles and their disciples. . . guards [this preaching and faith] with care, as dwelling in but a single house, and similarly believes as if having but one soul and a single heart, and preaches, teaches and Hands on this faith with a unanimous voice, as if possessing only one mouth." 59

The Church, "the pillar and bulwark of the truth", Faithfully guards "the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints". She guards the memory of Christ's words; it is she who from generation to generation Hands on the Apostles' confession of faith. 57 As a mother who teaches her children to speak and so to understand and communicate, the Church our Mother teaches us the language of faith in order to introduce us to the understanding and the life of faith.

At Last Jesus' hour arrives: 117 he commends his spirit into the Father's Hands 118 at the very moment when by his death he conquers death, so that, "raised from the dead by the Glory of the Father," 119 he might immediately give the Holy Spirit by "breathing" on his disciples. 120 From this hour onward, the mission of Christ and the Spirit becomes the mission of the Church: "As the Father has sent me, even so I send you." 121

The Church is apostolic because she is founded on the Apostles, in three ways: - she was and remains built on "the foundation of the Apostles," 362 The witnesses chosen and sent on mission by Christ himself; 363 - with the help of the Spirit dwelling in her, the Church keeps and Hands on the teaching, 364 The "good deposit," the salutary words she has heard from the apostles; 365 - she continues to be taught, sanctified, and guided by the apostles until Christ's return, through their successors in pastoral office: the college of Bishops, "assisted by Priests, in union with the successor of Peter, the Church's supreme pastor": 366

Often Jesus asks the Sick to believe. 107 He makes use of signs to heal: spittle and the laying on of Hands, 108 mud and washing. 109 The sick try to touch him, "for power came forth from him and healed them all." 110 and so in the Sacraments Christ continues to "touch" us in order to heal us.

The presentation of the offerings (the Offertory). Then, sometimes in procession, the bread and wine are brought to the altar; they will be offered by the priest in the name of Christ in the Eucharistic sacrifice in which they will become his body and blood. It is the very action of Christ at the Last Supper - "taking the bread and a cup." "The Church alone offers this pure oblation to the Creator, when she offers what comes forth from his creation with thanksgiving." 175 The presentation of the offerings at the altar takes up the gesture of Melchizedek and commits the Creator's Gifts into the Hands of Christ who, in his sacrifice, brings to perfection all human attempts to offer sacrifices.

At the heart of the Eucharistic celebration are the bread and wine that, by the words of Christ and the invocation of the Holy Spirit, become Christ's Body and Blood. Faithful to the Lord's command the Church continues to do, in his memory and until his glorious return, what he did on the eve of his Passion: "He took bread...." "He took the cup filled with wine...." the signs of bread and wine become, in a way surpassing understanding, the Body and Blood of Christ; they continue also to signify the goodness of creation. Thus in the Offertory we give thanks to the Creator for bread and wine, 152 fruit of the "work of human Hands," but above all as "fruit of the earth" and "of the vine" - Gifts of the Creator. the Church sees in the gesture of the king-priest Melchizedek, who "brought out bread and wine," a prefiguring of her own offering. 153

The essential rite of the Sacrament follows. In the Latin rite, "the sacrament of Confirmation is conferred through the anointing with chrism on the forehead, which is done by the laying on of the hand, and through the words: 'Accipe signaculum doni Spiritus Sancti' [Be sealed with the Gift of the Holy Spirit.]." 113 In the Eastern Churches, after a Prayer of epiclesis the more significant parts of the body are anointed with myron: forehead, eyes, nose, ears, lips, breast, back, Hands, and feet. Each anointing is accompanied by the formula: "The seal of the gift that is the Holy Spirit."

In the Roman Rite the Bishop extends his Hands over the whole group of the confirmands. Since the time of the Apostles this gesture has signified the Gift of the Spirit. the bishop invokes the outpouring of the Spirit in these words:

Very early, the better to signify the Gift of the Holy Spirit, an anointing with perfumed oil (chrism) was added to the laying on of Hands. This anointing highlights the name "Christian," which means "anointed" and derives from that of Christ himself whom God "anointed with the Holy Spirit." 99 This rite of anointing has continued ever since, in both East and West. For this reaSon the Eastern Churches call this Sacrament Chrismation, anointing with chrism, or myron which means "chrism." In the West, Confirmation suggests both the ratification of Baptism, thus completing Christian initiation, and the strengthening of baptismal Grace - both fruits of the Holy Spirit.

"From that time on the Apostles, in fulfillment of Christ's will, imparted to the newly baptized by the laying on of Hands the Gift of the Spirit that completes the Grace of Baptism. For this reaSon in the Letter to the Hebrews the doctrine concerning Baptism and the laying on of hands is listed among the first elements of Christian instruction. the imposition of hands is rightly recognized by the Catholic tradition as the origin of the Sacrament of Confirmation, which in a certain way perpetuates the grace of Pentecost in the Church." 98

Since Baptism signifies liberation from sin and from its instigator the devil, one or more exorcisms are pronounced over the candidate. the celebrant then anoints him with the oil of catechumens, or lays his Hands on him, and he explicitly renounces Satan. Thus prepared, he is able to confess the Faith of the Church, to which he will be "entrusted" by Baptism. 39

Signs of the covenant. the Chosen People received from God distinctive signs and symbols that marked its liturgical life. These are no longer solely celebrations of cosmic cycles and social gestures, but signs of the covenant, symbols of God's mighty deeds for his people. Among these liturgical signs from the Old Covenant are circumcision, anointing and consecration of kings and Priests, laying on of Hands, sacrifices, and above all the Passover. the Church sees in these signs a prefiguring of the Sacraments of the New Covenant.

How? Christ is raised with his own body: "See my Hands and my feet, that it is I myself"; 551 but he did not return to an earthly life. So, in him, "all of them will rise again with their own bodies which they now bear," but Christ "will change our lowly body to be like his glorious body," into a "spiritual body": 552

The Tradition here in question comes from the Apostles and Hands on what they received from Jesus' teaching and example and what they learned from the Holy Spirit. the first generation of Christians did not yet have a written New Testament, and the New Testament itself demonstrates the process of living Tradition.