Receptivity to God’s Word

07-12-2026Weekly Reflection Fr. Bing Colasito

Why did Jesus not speak plainly and instead speak to them in parables? The Lord explains that parables served a dual purpose: 1. To reveal truth to receptive listeners – Those who were genuinely seeking God could reflect on the stories, ask questions, and gain deeper spiritual insight. 2. To conceal truth from those who were resistant – People who had already hardened themselves against his message would hear the stories but miss their deeper meaning.

This storytelling method made complex teachings relatable, fulfilled Old Testament prophecies, and required active participation from the listener to understand them.

When He was in trial before the Sanhedrin, many of them had this question in their hearts, “If you are the Messiah, tell us.” Jesus answers them, saying: “If I tell you… you will not believe, and if I question, you will not respond.” (Lk. 22:67-68) The real problem is not in His language; maybe He is already speaking plainly, but we are not listening. It is in the way the listener receives the Words of Jesus. The Gospel today addresses this question: Why are we not in a better disposition to listen and accept Jesus’ Words? The problem is not in the plain language, but in the receiver’s reception of the Word.

The parable presents a wonderful picture of this problem. A farmer sows good seeds in different kinds of soil. In every case, the seeds are good, in fact, the best; it is the kind of soil that determines if it will bear fruit. What is given here is that God is the Sower, the seed is the WORD of GOD, and the soil is us. Every seed has the potential for phenomenal growth and to yield a hundredfold. The Word of God has this potential in a person's life; it is the Divine Word that can enlighten and transform the heart and life of every recipient. If accepted in the right condition in the garden of the heart, the Divine Word can do wonders and produce abundant life in good soil, a receptive heart and soul.

The prophet Isaiah, in the first reading, compares this to the effect of rain and snow that comes down from heaven. God’s rain falls on the good and the bad; it makes dry soil fertile and nourishes the soil's nutrients, just as the Word of God gives Divine Life to a dry heart. God promises at the end of the reading, “It shall do my will, achieving the end for which I send it.”

God constantly sows His Divine Word, planting the seed in man’s heart, but not all hearts are good soil, meaning, not in the best or ideal condition to receive and practice what God has planted. We say: count your blessings. We all receive countless blessings and graces, but the Lord knows that not all these blessings will bear fruit; some will be taken away, some will be scorched, and some will be choked. But still, He continues to sow, for the few that will fall on good soil, heart, and soul, the fruit in abundance will compensate the many that were lost. Therefore, let us foster and nourish a good soil, with the help of the Lord, through hard work and sacrifices, so that its fruits may be a hundredfold: love, kindness, generosity, patience, peace, and joy, and above all, Eternal life.