Faithful Questions: Reflections from a New York Pilgrimage
By Grace Molla (C’28)
Georgetown students gather around the Bible recovered from Ground Zero during a visit to the 9/11 Memorial & Museum.
Having now gone on this pilgrimage twice, I can confidently say that it is a spiritually renewing experience for our Orthodox community at Georgetown. More than simply visiting meaningful places, this year’s pilgrimage created space for reflection and a deeper awareness of both the brokenness of the world and the presence of God within it.
On Saturday, we visited the 9/11 Memorial & Museum, a unique combination of a museum, a memorial, and an archaeological site. Through voice recordings from victims and their families, as well as tributes honoring each life lost, the museum preserves not only history, but also grief and memory. Walking through the exhibits, I found myself reflecting not only on the events of that day, but also on the violence, hatred, and division that continue to exist in the world today.
Confronting humanity’s capacity for evil often leaves me wrestling with difficult questions about suffering and God’s presence in the world. In those moments, I am drawn back to the story of Job, an innocent and righteous man who endured immense suffering yet remained faithful. What stands out to me most is Job’s honesty before God. He openly grieved, questioned, and lamented, yet never abandoned his relationship with Him. His story reminds me that suffering does not mean the absence of a loving God, but reflects the painful reality of living in a fallen world.
On Sunday, we participated in Divine Liturgy at Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church & National Shrine – destroyed in the collapse of World Trade Center Tower 2, making it the only house of worship lost that day. The sermon focused on the Apostle Thomas, often labeled “Doubting Thomas.” Rather than condemning Thomas’s questioning, the sermon emphasized that his questions and honesty ultimately brought him closer to Christ. Listening to Father Andreas Vithoulkas and Father Samuel Davis, I noticed the parallels with Job’s story. While Job’s friends blindly assumed he deserved his suffering, Job brought his questions directly before God — and in the end, God rebuked his friends while praising Job.
A Bible recovered from Ground Zero, fused to a piece of steel, lies open to Matthew 5, where Jesus calls his followers to turn the other cheek and not repay evil for evil. Photo by Grace Molla (C’28).
I chose this image of the miraculous Bible found at the site because it ties these reflections together. To me, it serves as a reminder that God is present even within humanity’s darkest moments. Jesus Himself experienced suffering and injustice, so the existence of tragedy does not mean that God is absent from us. The image also reminds me that God welcomes not only our faith but our questions, doubts, and grief as well. Finally, the biblical passage the Bible lies open to carries a powerful message and a call to action: to live with peace, honesty, and love even in the face of cruelty and injustice.