Ascension Catholic Church in Melbourne shared Fr. Eamon Tobin’s reflection on the parables of Jesus in its July 12 weekly bulletin. 

Tobin's piece centers around the parables of Jesus and their power to give us a glimpse into the nature of God’s very Kingdom. 

“Parables have been called ‘an earthly story with a heavenly meaning,’” Tobin wrote. “Jesus tells a story and then challenges the listener to figure out the message for him/herself.”

Fr. Eamon Tobin | https://www.ascensioncatholic.net/

In order to see the truth of the parables, the individual who hears it must be willing to listen to the deeper message that is being conveyed. In the parable of the sower, we see that God offers his salvation to everyone, with God being the sower and us being His soil. 

“If the seed falls on good soil (an open heart), it will likely produce an incredible harvest,” Tobin wrote. “Jesus encourages his audience to be good soil, receptive to his message. Jesus’ offer of the Kingdom to all people would have stretched the mindset of those who believed that only the Jews belonged in the Kingdom.”

When Jesus was asked why he taught in parables, he explained that rather than hiding the truth from some who are unable to discern it, Christ’s will is that everyone hear and understand and follow his teachings. But because not everyone has the spiritual openness to do so, some may be unreceptive. 

“In the third and final section of today’s Gospel (verses 18- 23), Jesus speaks about the various kinds of soil on which the seed falls and the factors that prevent the Word from bearing fruit abundantly,” Tobin wrote. 

While there are multiple types of soil that the seed may fall upon, we must ensure that we remain diligent and not let the devil come and sow doubt in our minds and cause us to lose our faith. If we do not allow ourselves to be distracted from God’s word and his calling in our lives, said Tobin, we can see that fruit will be plentiful.