Thoughts on Les Miserables--the grace scene

What the priest does in response to Jean Valjean's crime is wrong. He lies to the police and puts himself and his household in mortal danger by opening himself up in vulnerability to this stranger not once but twice. He has already shown him unmerited kindness, which was repaid with betrayal, theft and violence. His act is wrong in the sense of cultural norms, societal justice, conventional morality and safety. It is naive and foolish. And yet we all know instantly, as we watch or read the encounter, that it is absolutely right. The collective gasp in the theater, once the impact sinks in, is telling. The movie version with Liam Neeson made in the 90's seems to me the most powerful portrayal of this moment but the impact is tangible whatever the medium. The priest does a ridiculously unwise thing and we immediately know it is breathtakingly right. It is the Kingdom of God at work.