Fr. Luke Macnamara: “Ground zero” once referred simply to the centre point of a nuclear explosion. Since 9/11, it evokes the World Trade Centre and the memorial to the 2,977 lives lost that day. New York’s city centre will forever be remembered as Ground Zero.
Something similar happens in today’s readings. Zebulun and Naphtali were tribal place names, long unused by Jesus’ time. His contemporaries would have called the region Galilee. Yet the Gospel deliberately uses these older names, which carry a history of suffering: oppression, exploitation, conquest, and displacement. Zebulun and Naphtali recall some of Israel’s lowest points.
By beginning his ministry here, Jesus shows that he comes to people at their lowest, where need is greatest. These struggles are not only caused by external forces but also by internal sin and division. Still, he comes: “I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.”
We all have our own “Zebulun and Naphtali”—places in our lives where things have gone wrong, often because of our own choices. The good news is that Jesus comes even to our darkest places. He brings the power of God’s kingdom to transform our lives: “The people who lived in darkness have seen a great light; on those who dwell in the land and shadow of death, a light has dawned.”
How do we receive this light? One way is through the Word of God. The psalmist reminds us: “The Word is a lamp for my steps and a light for my path” and “The Lord is my light and my help.” Even when darkness comes, God’s Word can reach the deepest parts of our hearts and shine a transforming light there. As Hebrews says: “Indeed, the Word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing until it divides soul from spirit… it is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”
God’s Word not only brings light but transforms us: fear becomes trust, despair becomes hope, hatred becomes love, and division becomes unity. It reshapes how we think, speak, and relate to God, to one another and to ourselves.
Let us honour the victims of 9/11—and all who suffer from violence and war—by walking in the light of God’s Word. May we nurture the gifts that flow from it: trust, hope, love, and peace. Just as Zebulun and Naphtali became “Galilee of the nations,” may we too become a land of freedom and courage—a home where God’s light shines, even in the darkest places.