If you haven't seen the new musical movie "Les Miserables" do yourself a favor and get there. The story, which has been told in many movies and plays, is timeless. Although set in France in the early 19th Century, the themes are relevant to our day today.
For me, the most moving part of the story is when Jean Valjean is released from prison (19 years for stealing a loaf of bread) and, after experiencing much rejection and mistreatment, spends the night in the rectory of the Monsignor (Bishop, in some adaptations). After Jean steals the silver tableware from the rectory and is caught the Monsignor has mercy on him. The police are ready to send him right back to jail but because Jean has told them that the items were a gift, they take him back to the rectory. The Monsignor tells the police that the items were indeed a gift and he is so glad they brought Jean back because he had forgotten the matching candlesticks. This one act of mercy becomes a profound experience of conversion for Jean Valjean. He tears up his parole papers and begins his life anew.
It brings tears to my eyes every time I see that scene. The healing effect of mercy versus the harsh and unrelenting consequences of the law - a great lesson for me in my ministry to the inmates in the jails and prisons right here in South Dakota.
Click here to watch the trailer.
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