Tenth International Conference on Religion & Spirituality in Society

Abstract

In a postmodern world where Christian symbols and have become cryptic if not arcane to many, literature – by enabling the recovery and narrative transposition of their living meaning – has become a necessary prerequisite to the practice of spiritual theology. Addressing the redefinition of human existence and society in light of the values of the Enlightenment works such as Victor Hugo’s Les Misérables provide contemporary researchers with an instructive parallel to the current reframing of Christian teaching for a secularized context. This presentation will take a closer look at the person and life of Jean Valjean, the lead character of Hugo’s masterpiece, on the path that led him from criminality to faithful discipleship and self-sacrifice. The study of Valjean’s relationship to Mgr. Myriel helps us gain further insight into how the Christian way of life, embodied in bold gestures of gratuitous mercy, can inspire and transform the lives of embattled men and women. In Myriel, Valjean perceives a model of spiritual integrity he must emulate. Transposing the bishop’s religious ideal into his own life context, Valjean undergoes a most profound spiritual transformation and adopts a self-giving way of life in which he raises his adoptive daughter Cosette. In Valjean’s lifelong journey of spiritual formation, humanity can be observed to grow from ashes to maturity, from misery to generosity, from dying life to life-giving death, giving new embodiment to Jesus, the God who fully discloses Godself in the person of human beings liberated and vocationally commissioned in and for love.