When people #PrayforOrlando, is it empathetic … or selfish?

With each new mass shooting and terror attack, some people are offended by the public display of faith without some accompanied tangible effort to quell the violence or support the victims. But others say offering prayer remains a way to find meaning in a senseless act; to offer something when it feels like there’s little else to do. It’s intended to provide solace.

The viral use of the hashtag #PrayforOrlando was immediate Sunday. It might not have a practical effect, but it can create some sense of solidarity. Seeing a social media network filled with the same condolence serves as a reminder that as human beings, we’re in this together.

Philip Yancey, author of “Prayer: Does It Make Any Difference?,” said those public displays do provide comfort to the afflicted.

“I was at Sandy Hook after the shootings there, and Virginia Tech, and Columbine, and Mumbai, India, and I know well the comfort that comes to survivors of tragedy when they know that people around the world are praying for them. That’s one thing all of us not directly involved can do,” he said. “A healthy body feels the pain of the weakest part, and prayer is a form of love that expresses our solidarity with those who suffer.”