Jack Berger
Chapter 7 Journal, Called to Love, Gospel of John and Revelation

1. The main idea stressed in this chapter is that of being called to love. One example of this in the chapter is the parable of the Samaritan woman. Jesus shows love by breaking down the barriers of society and choosing to show friendship to the woman instead. Another is the story of Nicodemus. He, after a period of time, answered the call to love Jesus and act on this love. He did this by helping with the burial of Jesus and giving the spices for the burial. Dom Helder Camara is an example of love in our world today. He gave up a luxurious, easy life to make a stand and fight for human rights. He stuck through death threats, etc., to make his point and try to help the people that needed it, out of a love for them.

2. I want to remember the story of the Samaritan woman. In this story, Jesus talks to a Samaritan woman and reveals to her his true identity. The woman then goes and tells everyone, and they too want to learn about this Jesus. In Jesus' time, it was inappropriate to speak to Samaritans as a Jew or to speak to a woman you didn't know as a man. Jesus shatters these two social barriers. Also, not only does he talk to her but she is the first person to know Jesus' identity. I want to remember this story because It was a key moment in the Gospel because it is the first time that Jesus is revealed.

Another thing I want to remember is the Book of Revelation. It uses symbolic literature to help get across ideas to its audiences. It is about the world of early Christians and their responses to persecution. It shows that they should trust in God and good will win in the end. The author was probably a Christian prophet and was written during the reign of Domitian. I want to remember this because it is an important book of the Bible and can help me to learn about what Christians went through in the time of the early Church.

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4. Why did the author of the Book of Revelation choose to use so many tricky symbols and images? Did it help him convey his message better?

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