Cop captures viral image of teen praying over a homeless man in Baltimore

Sometimes a powerful image has the ability to affect an entire community. That's exactly what happened this week when a photo of a teen in Baltimore praying over a homeless man went viral.

The act of overwhelming sincerity was captured by police officer Eric Gaines, who stumbled upon the scene while patrolling the neighborhood as he had every day for the past three years.

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The image, which was posted to his personal Facebook account, has been shared more than 36,000 times and is littered with comments from admirers of the young man's heart and spirituality.

He captioned the image, "I watched as this young kid was walking pass, stopped and walked over to this sleeping homeless man; touched him and began praying over him," before going on to add, "I pray this kid becomes a leader amongst his peers, and continues on this path!! Not all Baltimore youth are lost!!"

In an interview with the Baltimore Sun, Officer Gaines explains the context behind the discreetly taken photograph. He claims the boy had been walking with friends, who went ahead of him and later held a bus for him while he finished his prayer.

"He didn't do it for any accolades or any praise. ... I didn't get a chance to say anything. I wanted to say something to him," Gaines said. "But it was just as if he did what he had to do and left."

People on social media have taken to the touching photo, commenting on the hope that the image instilled in them. See their reactions below.

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