What 'Les Miserables' teaches about prayer

Our take: JustPeaceTheory.com founder Valerie Elverton Dixon, discusses the various prayers offered by Jean Valjean during the movie "Les Miserables" that hit theaters Christmas Day 2012. She notes the similaries between the character set during the French Revolution and modern-day situations.

When we think about the movie Les Miserables, a nominee for the Motion Picture Academy Awards best picture, the role of religion is obvious. We see a Catholic bishop give the hero, Jean Valjean, a second chance at life and we see the conflict between grace and law in police officer Javerts relentless hunt for Valjean. But when I watched this latest movie iteration of Victor Hugos novel, I noticed the prayers.

When scholars talk about prayer, they describe the meaning of the relationship between the individual and the act of communication with a transcendent Other, a divine love, that some call God. A prayer may take us deeper inside ourselves and cause us to commit to what we think is a righteous course of action. Prayer can also take us outside of ourselves in a willingness to pray intercessory prayers for someone else. Prayer demands action.

Read more about What Les Miserables teaches about prayer on The Washington Post.