Why? This is easily explained by Our Lord Himself in the following scriptures.
***Matthew 13:[10] Then the disciples came and said to him, “Why do you speak to them in parables?”
[11] And he answered them, "To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given.
[12] For to him who has will more be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who has not, even what he has will be taken away.
[13] This is why I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.
[14] With them indeed is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah which says: `You shall indeed hear but never understand,
and you shall indeed see but never perceive.
[15] For this people’s heart has grown dull,
and their ears are heavy of hearing,
and their eyes they have closed,
lest they should perceive with their eyes,
and hear with their ears,
and understand with their heart,
and turn for me to heal them.’
[16] But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear.
[17] Truly, I say to you, many prophets and righteous men longed to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.
…
[34] All this Jesus said to the crowds in parables; indeed he said nothing to them without a parable.
[35] This was to fulfil what was spoken by the prophet: “I will open my mouth in parables,
I will utter what has been hidden since the foundation of the
world.”
and then also…
Mark 4:**[10] And when he was alone, those who were about him with the twelve asked him concerning the parables.
[11] And he said to them, “To you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God, but for those outside everything is in parables;
[12] so that they may indeed see but not perceive, and may indeed hear but not understand; lest they should turn again, and be forgiven.”
***See also the following references.
Is 6:9;
Jn 12:40;
Acts 28:26;
Rom 11:8.
Hopefully you begin to see that Jesus knew exactly what He was doing. We who understand do so because we are disposed in our hearts to do so and the Holy Spirit does the rest.
As for question #2, didn’t you go to Mass during Holy Week? We clearly participated in those Gospel readings where Jesus was asked outright if he was the son of God and He responded “You say that I am.” and the Jewish leaders went nuts because they knew that was a claim to divinity.
So hopefully this answers most of your issues. I suggest that you spend more time regularly reading your Bible the way Pope Francis has told us to do. It will make a world of difference in your faith.
