This week marks the beginning of a kind of “liturgical detour.” We have been listening to Saint Mark’s Gospel during this liturgical year (Year B). Today we begin to hear a long section from John’s Gospel, starting with the miracle of the multiplication of the loaves and fishes. This miracle story is a prelude to the Lord’s statements that we will begin hearing in a few weeks, in which Jesus refers to himself as the “bread of life.”

For several weeks we have listened to readings that have recounted just how arduous the work of prophets and disciples can be. In today’s Gospel, the Lord Jesus listens to the reports of those he had sent out “two by two” to minister to the people. After the apostles reported what they had done, Jesus, recognizing their fatigue, says, “Come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest awhile” (Mark 6:31).

The prophet Ezekiel, Saint Paul, and the Lord Jesus share something in common in today’s scripture readings. They all experience obstacles to their ministry. Ezekiel is summoned to prophesy to the Israelites, who are “hard of face and obstinate of heart” (Ezekiel 2:4). Saint Paul recounts how he has been given a “thorn in the flesh” (2 Corinthians 12:7). The Lord Jesus is unable to perform many signs in his native place. The Gospel tells us that “[he] was amazed at their lack of faith” (Mark 6:6).

Today we encounter readings that draw us into the mystery of suffering and death. In the past few years we have witnessed the devastation of life and property through earthquakes and hurricanes. So many lifted their lament to God, simply asking, “Why?” This is an honest expression of anger toward a God who we believe is the giver of life.

Since June 24 falls on a Sunday this year, the Church has the opportunity for a more intense celebration of the birth of John the Baptist, who is often described as the last of the Old Testament prophets and the bridge between Judaism and Christianity. More commonly, John is known as the “precursor” of our Lord Jesus Christ. All the Gospels report John’s basic message: Repent, the kingdom is near at hand. One greater than I is coming.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus is presented to us as the master storyteller. He loved to use parables as a tool for comparing one thing to something else. In most of his parables, Jesus revealed who God is by comparing God’s essence or actions with something familiar to his listeners.

Today’s liturgy is full of promises. The reading from Genesis promises a final triumph over the power of sin and a return to a new creation. The reading from Second Corinthians promises that all who follow Christ will have to struggle. It also promises, however, that we can persevere if we but recognize that Christ is within us, renewing us daily, and giving us the courage and the strength we need to endure. The Gospel promises that doing God’s will makes us “family” with Jesus, who forgives all sin and triumphs over evil.

On this solemnity, we focus our attention on the Body and Blood of Christ. We listen to the story of the renewal of the old covenant, which Moses sealed by splashing the blood of animals on the altar of sacrifice, as well as on the people. Jesus, whose blood is the blood of the new covenant, shed that precious blood on the cross, saving us from sin and promising us everlasting life.

Today is a day simply to ponder the fact that in baptism we were claimed by God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The first reading from Deuteronomy prompts us to fix in our hearts the truth that God is the Lord of both heaven and earth and there is no other god. Saint Paul reminds us that, because we received the Spirit of adoption in baptism, we are now children of God.

Fifty days after Easter Sunday we celebrate the fulfillment of all God’s promises in the feast of Pentecost, a feast that has sometimes been called the birthday of the church. One last time we are reminded that we Christians have received the Holy Spirit, not for our own benefit, but to enable us to follow our Christian vocation.

Today we celebrate Christ’s ascension into heaven and his commissioning of the disciples to carry on his mission in the world. First, we hear Luke’s description of those events in the opening verses of the Acts of the Apostles. Next, we hear words of encouragement and guidance from the Letter to the Ephesians. Finally, we hear Mark’s account of the Ascension, foretelling the mighty words and acts the Christian community would do in Jesus’ name.

In the Gospel for the Sixth Sunday of Easter we are met with an extraordinary challenge: Jesus commands us to “love one another as I love you” (John 15:12). The letter from John echoes this command. Of course, we are to love those in our family, those we work with, those we like. But the scriptures make clear that we are also to love those we never notice, those we purposely avoid, and even those we are tempted to despise.