Something we just say

Every time there's a random shooting or an attack deemed a terror attack, many people say, "My thoughts and prayers are with the victims and families." Why? Are these well-meaning individuals actually sitting around having thoughts about the victims and praying? How long does it go on for? How many thoughts? How many prayers? I know what prayers are, having started out in life as a Catholic. But what about the thoughts? What are they? What kind of thoughts? Are they meditating on the awfulness or the horrors of bloodshed? Are they thinking about the pain being experienced by the victims but also the psychic pain suffered by those close to the victims? And how is it that such "sympathetic" utterances lessen the pain or is it expected that the "thoughts" projected in sympathy suffering somehow expiates the horror and grief? Since thousands of people die everyday from diseases of every kind, from accidents, from others kinds of murder shouldn't these sympathetic people be professing their thoughts and prayers every minute of the 24 hour day? I know how my Mother would have explained it. She would have said in her annoyed voice, "Philip, it is something that we just say!"