The question has been asked hundreds, maybe thousands, of times since that terrible Monday on the campus of Virginia Tech. The answer may be that we can't really do anything -- except to pray.

We can pray for those students who were wounded during the massacre in Norris Hall. We can pray that they heal, not only physically, but emotionally as well. We can pray that they get past the questions of why they were spared. We can pray that they walk back onto campus with a renewed sense of purpose, strength and community.

We can pray for the families of those who were senselessly slain by a man who was obviously out of touch with the real world. We can pray that they remember to hold onto their loved ones a little longer and to hug them a little tighter when the opportunity presents itself. We can pray that they get past the desire to place blame for the actions of a lunatic who just happened into the world of their loved ones long enough to destroy their dreams.

We can pray for other VT students who were not in the line of fire but who bear the weight of fear and uncertainty brought about by the desperation of one man. We can pray for their families, who now want nothing more than to hold tightly to their children; to let them know they love them; to let them know just how much they are missed when they are not at home.

We can pray for the faculty members, administrators and employees at Virginian Tech. We can pray that they do not pick up the guilt trying to be forced upon them by so many in the media. We can pray that they continue to follow the mission of the school while making preparations in case another tragedy such as this might ever occur again.

We can pray for college students on campuses across the nation who, for obvious reasons, are saying to themselves and to one another, it could have been us; it could have been here on our campus; it could have been.

We can pray for the family of the shooter. We can pray that they get past this bizarre incident and go on with their lives, knowing that they may never understand what sent their son out on such an unstable limb. We can pray that, if their actions caused him to be the lone, dark person he was, they might find forgiveness for their actions.

And we can pray for the souls of those student and professors who lost their lives on Monday, April 16, 2007.

May they rest in peace.