In Hugo’s Les Miserables, the convict Jean Valjean, after being released from prison with no prospects and nowhere to go, is put up for the night by a kindly bishop. Valjean returns the favor by coldcocking him and stealing the church’s silverware.

When caught redhanded later, Valjean is returned to the bishop, who then acts as if the silverware were a gift, startling the gendarmes and Valjean. The bishop then whispers to Valjean that with this gift,he has ransomed the prisoner’s soul. Valjean later goes on to become an important man in Paris, who never forgets the mercy shown him, repaying it to others many times over.

Not every instance of kindness will result in a Jean Valjean. But we cannot stop loving, because we never know when one will.

If We the Church get shafted doing good, then we continue doing good. That’s persecution. We shouldn’t fade away because it’s a big, bad world out there. We’re going to get ripped off simply because we are honest, and the world is not.

That doesn’t mean we should be gullible fools, but it does mean we hang ourselves out in the rushing current knowing we could be hurt. Jesus set his face towards Jerusalem. We should do the same.