“Patches Of Godlight”

Did you know that the climbing vine we call “honeysuckle” always grows clockwise, to its right? The “jasmine,” on the other hand, always entwines counterclockwise, to its left. And nothing can make either vine do otherwise. But in the South American country of Chile, there is a vine called “scyphambus elegans” which starts turning in one direction, makes a few loops around whatever it’s climbing up, then turns in the other direction — reversing itself from clockwise to counterclockwise every few loops.

Beyond being an interesting bit of trivia, this phenomenon also makes a point: regardless of the direction in which vines do their climbing — whether clockwise or counterclockwise, to the right or to the left, or both ways — all are always seeking the same thing. All are seeking light.

In today’s Gospel Lesson, as Jesus leaves the Temple in the company of His disciples — those who have been seeking the Light of the Lord — He comes upon a beggar —…