they laid hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit

“Now when the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent them Peter and John, who went down and prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Spirit, for it had not yet fallen upon any of them; they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then they laid hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit.” (ACTS 8: 14-17) 

The Holy Spirit is received by a very personal gesture: “they laid hands on them.” Samarians “had accepted the word of God”; they “had been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus,” but they needed the Apostles’ prayer “that they might receive the Holy Spirit.” We received the Holy Spirit when a bishop put his hands on us. The Tradition continues. 

“Whoever loves me will keep my word, says the Lord, and my Father will love him and we will come to him.” (Gospel Acclamation)