This passage from Matthew's Gospel raises questions. Jesus appears to be saying that he deliberately speaks to the people in parables to prevent them from understanding what he is saying to them. But that is highly unlikely. We will always struggle to understand Jesus' real intention. Let us consider the literal meaning of his words "because they look but do not see, they listen but do not hear or understand." Taken literally, these words are a very incisive insight into human attitudes. Let us reflect: We listen gladly to Pope Francis, but do we really accept and take to heart what he says. At the World Youth Day in Poland, Pope Francis said that Jesus in his own person is the social teaching of the Church. We may wonder how many of those who were listening to him actually heard what he said, understood what he said, and took to heart what he said.

We who read his address, have we even noticed this doctrine?

So with Jesus: If he spoke pure doctrine, his listeners would not have understood, so he made extensive use of parables to try to get his message across in simple images.