Parables were the ordinary teaching means of ancient Jews, a people of shepherds and farmers, down-to-earth, and anything but philosophers! The parable is based on daily life, used as an example to teach a doctrine. The formulation is brief, but rich in content, like a concentrated vitamin. The parable of the sower verses 18-23 (not in today's Gospel) seems to be rather the explanation of a catechist; Jesus prefers the listeners to guess the meaning, so He says: "Listen, anyone who has ears". This demands greater personal effort, but with better results: no one likes to eat food digested by anyone else. If you digest it, your assimilation of the doctrine will be more personal. Try today's parable: the Word of God bears different fruits in human hearts, according to different dispositions and situations. See how you can improve your dispositions and situations to make God's Word more productive. If you have access to a sharing group, share with them the graces that have accompanied your reflections, and in return benefit yourself from their sharing.