Costly Love: A Reflection on Les Miserables

A loaf of bread is risen with the yeast of a brother,

but the cost amounts to 19 long years of hard labor.

A bag of silverwares is given as a gift from a priest,

but its value is only redeemed by life's second lease.

A dream of holy life is broken by an act of wrong,

but the hope is passed on, thanks to a mayor on the run.

A safe haven is in the sanctuary of a convent,

but the revolution stirs up changes like a whirlwind.

A father who has no wife raises a daughter not his own,

but gives away by carrying the young groom out of his wound.

An ex-con turns into a brave soldier for a moment,

but spares his chief nemesis without the slightest relent.

Human justice without forgiveness is bound to shed blood,

but to love another is to see the glory of God.

(2013/1/5)