Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those who were in distress. In the past he humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the future he will honor Galilee of the nations, by the Way of the Sea …
- Isaiah 9:1
 
Years ago, Fr. Virgilio Elizondo coined something he called “The Galilee Principle” as he reflected on the life and ministry of Jesus: “What human beings reject, God chooses as his very own.” This is no accident.
 
When Isaiah prophesies about the coming of the Messiah, the Savior, he declared that Galilee of the nations would receive the honor of being included. Galilee would have been far from the centers of power and influence … Jerusalem, Babylon, and eventually Rome. Zebulun and Naphtali weren’t the legendary leadership tribes, the Judahs and the Benjamins and the Levis. 
 
God does memorable things in forgotten places. Forgotten places – and the people who live in them – are never forgotten by him. As Noel Castellanos said “The margins are the center of God’s concern.”
 
As we see God’s willingness to include places and people who society considers on the margins, we can feel both sobered and encouraged. 
 
As people living in an era that considers itself superior to all previous eras in all possible ways, as people living in a country that centers its attention significantly on itself, it can be difficult for us to grapple with the reality that God’s best and most significant work might be happening in the places we neglect to look. 
 
But we also always find ourselves standing on the edges of some circle. Perhaps it’s because we’re outside of Chapel Hill and Cary. Perhaps it’s because of our gender or economic or ethnic background. Perhaps it’s because of the way our political beliefs intersect with our friendship circles. Life on the edge can be difficult. We long to be in the center. But God does memorable things in our lives when we’re living on the edge.
 
How might God be calling you to attend to those living on the margins today? How might God be inviting you to embrace a life on the edge even now?