16th Week in Ord. Time, Friday – 24th July 2020 — Gospel: Mt 13,18-23
Ability to understand
Jesus does not explain every detail of the parable – no explanation is given for the sower, or the path, or the rocky ground, or the diverse yield. He points out that the seed is the message of the kingdom. The soils are the hearts of the people who make a choice about the message. The seed receives varied responses from the people. It will take time to develop because of the difficult times and difficult people. Jesus asserted that neither the hearing nor the receiving of the message of the kingdom is sufficient. But in time the message will produce a harvest based on the understanding of this message. The emphasis is that only those who bear the fruit of its presence in their lives are revealed as those who truly grasp its deepest significance.
