Lovely Hula Hands

One of the most beautiful aspects of my job is that there is no doubt or misconceptions about the inevitableness of death. It is around every corner and all the signs of the end times are a daily occurrence. I serve people well into their nineties and well into their final stages of life. I have a 98-year-old woman that is declining rapidly and I can actually see “the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory” over her. She is not just one of my favorites; she is related to me through our Hawaiian roots. I call her Auntie because that is the Hawaiian way to address your elders and one day we discovered that we are actually Ohana. Her Auntie Keahi married my Great Great Uncle Frank and their adopted daughter is a famous hula dancer in Hawaii known as Iolani Luahine (there is a bronze statue of her at the Hawaiian Hilton in Waikiki). Auntie learned the hula from her Auntie Keahi, as did my grandma’s sister. Since we discovered our deep roots, Auntie and I have been quite the dynamic duo. When my band gives a concert (about once a month), Auntie joins us for our final song, “Aloha Oe”, and she and I even danced the hula together in the resident/staff talent show. Her signature is a perpetual plumeria in her hair. My signature? A perpetual plumeria in my hair! It seems that Auntie is going home to God very soon and I have spent this week serving her in a special way. She’s a trooper and still insists on coming down to the dining room, however, she can no longer hold her fork so I get to do that for her. I hold her hand and kiss her forehead between every labored bite. She is having a hard time swallowing and I coach her gently reminding her how to do it. I meet her cloudy eyes with mine and ask her how she is feeling. She’s tired and a bit scared. Lastly, I sat in her room with her and we sang the song that we danced the hula to, “Lovely Hula Hands”, and she joined me for the very sweetest duet of my life. Her voice has been inaudible and very labored this week, but her singing voice is a lovely as her hula hands. These are the signs of the end times for Auntie and these are the reminders for me to “stand erect and raise your heads because redemption is at hand.”

The tender moments of our lives give us a glimpse into the cloud of glory that is the manifestation of Jesus’ great power: his power to heal the sick, cleanse lepers, and raise the dead; his power to bring peace in the midst chaos; his power to love the unlovable; his power to give mercy to the broken; his power to serve the poor; his power to bring comfort to the dying. This power is not a way back then reality, but a daily and now actuality. We are empowered and called to release this power with our lives as we are his hands and feet, which means that we can also heal, cleanse, bring peace, love, give mercy, serve, comfort, and yes, raise the dead. I know it seems absurd, impossible, and like someone else’s calling, but if we truly believe in Jesus, then we must also know that his power dwells within us. Today’s gospel uses apocalyptic language, which would have been a tremendous concern for ancient Middle Eastern society, however, for our purposes let’s use a thesaurus phrase for apocalypse: day of reckoning. Let today be a day for us to remember our authority in Christ to be his hands and feet, to serve as he served, and to let the cloud of power and great glory rest upon us so that we can stand up and raise our heads for our liberation from this world is here. Please say a prayer for Auntie as she journeys home, may her transition be peaceful and lovely, until we meet again. It is well with my soul. 

Reading 1 RV 18:1-2, 21-23; 19:1-3, 9A

I, John, saw another angel coming down from heaven,
having great authority,
and the earth became illumined by his splendor.
He cried out in a mighty voice:

"Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great.
She has become a haunt for demons.
She is a cage for every unclean spirit,
a cage for every unclean bird,
a cage for every unclean and disgusting beast."

A mighty angel picked up a stone like a huge millstone
and threw it into the sea and said:

"With such force will Babylon the great city be thrown down,
and will never be found again.
No melodies of harpists and musicians,
flutists and trumpeters,
will ever be heard in you again.
No craftsmen in any trade
will ever be found in you again.
No sound of the millstone
will ever be heard in you again.
No light from a lamp
will ever be seen in you again.
No voices of bride and groom
will ever be heard in you again.
Because your merchants were the great ones of the world,
all nations were led astray by your magic potion."

After this I heard what sounded like
the loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, saying:

"Alleluia!
Salvation, glory, and might belong to our God,
for true and just are his judgments.
He has condemned the great harlot 
who corrupted the earth with her harlotry.
He has avenged on her the blood of his servants."

They said a second time:

"Alleluia! Smoke will rise from her forever and ever."

Then the angel said to me, "Write this:
Blessed are those who have been called
to the wedding feast of the Lamb."

Responsorial Psalm PS 100:1B-2, 3, 4, 5

R. (Rev. 19: 9a) Blessed are they who are called to the wedding feast of the Lamb.
Sing joyfully to the LORD, all you lands;
serve the LORD with gladness;
come before him with joyful song.
R. Blessed are they who are called to the wedding feast of the Lamb.
Know that the LORD is God;
he made us, his we are;
his people, the flock he tends.
R. Blessed are they who are called to the wedding feast of the Lamb.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving,
his courts with praise;
Give thanks to him; bless his name.
R. Blessed are they who are called to the wedding feast of the Lamb.
For he is good:
the LORD, whose kindness endures forever,
and his faithfulness, to all generations.
R. Blessed are they who are called to the wedding feast of the Lamb.

Alleluia LK 21:28

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Stand erect and raise your heads
because your redemption is at hand.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel LK 21:20-28

Jesus said to his disciples:
"When you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies,
know that its desolation is at hand.
Then those in Judea must flee to the mountains.
Let those within the city escape from it,
and let those in the countryside not enter the city,
for these days are the time of punishment
when all the Scriptures are fulfilled.
Woe to pregnant women and nursing mothers in those days,
for a terrible calamity will come upon the earth
and a wrathful judgment upon this people.
They will fall by the edge of the sword
and be taken as captives to all the Gentiles;
and Jerusalem will be trampled underfoot by the Gentiles
until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.

"There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars,
and on earth nations will be in dismay,
perplexed by the roaring of the sea and the waves.
People will die of fright
in anticipation of what is coming upon the world,
for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.
And then they will see the Son of Man
coming in a cloud with power and great glory.
But when these signs begin to happen,
stand erect and raise your heads
because your redemption is at hand."