Raised in Blessing

 

In the statue of the risen Christ, standing above the altar, His hands are raised in blessing as at the Ascension, and indeed, He seems to be fulfilling “the earth is my footstool” of the Psalter! But it’s more curious if you study the hands on the Crucifix. Because the fingers are set in the one hand in the manner in which the blessing is usually given in the Western Church; in the other hand, they are formed into the way the blessing is usually given in the Eastern Church. I have no idea who the artist was who did that, but it was brilliant. For both in His Ascension and in His Paschal Mystery, His hands are lifted in blessing toward us. He is the Blessed One who comes as the fulfillment of the promise to Abraham, the One who comes to bless every family of the human race. He is indeed the fulfillment of Numbers 6: The Lord bless you and keep you! The Lord make His face shine upon you and be gracious unto you! The Lord lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace! Amen! Amen! Amen!