Stay ConnectedTaste & See is a weekly podcast of heartfelt reflections and meditations on the Sunday readings. Join Zac Wierschem of Paradisus Dei as he guides you into a deeper encounter with Jesus—alongside a global community that prays together each week..
Learn more about Paradisus Dei and our life-changing programs at: paradisusdei.org
Copyright: © Zac Wierschem
In Matthew 14:22–33, Peter steps out of the boat and walks toward Jesus in the midst of a storm, revealing a heart that desires intimacy with Christ more than safety or certainty. Through Carlo Maratti's painting, this reflection explores how vulnerability, trust, and courage allow us to leave the comfort of the boat and draw near to Jesus even when the waves of fear, suffering, and confusion surround us. Ultimately, the episode reminds us that when we begin to sink, Christ's first response is mercy—stretching out His hand to save us before correcting us, teaching us to pray Peter's simple prayer: "Lord, save me."
Reflection Questions:
Here's the link for the image of the sacred art piece of this week, Tondo piece of Christ Bidding Peter to Walk on the Water by Carlo Marotti: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1KC4y47Bt7qCdeGqHkNfPvwWNelS9dhPI/view?usp=sharing
Here's the link for the Google Slides presentation for experiencing this podcast in a group setting: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1VjKXJZBRhG1BCQ4MQqgXY3OwR_B5pkFwjPCoyTJCnOg/edit?usp=sharing
Here's the link to the text of the meditation: https://docs.google.com/document/d/10Cr8haSA_TJlIKoCb_NToXpE7bZ1CVRScurfatT_Ul4/edit?usp=sharing
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Learn more about the mission of Paradisus Dei and its life-changing parish programs here.
The World English Bible is in the public domain and was used for all scripture quotations.
Intro music: "My Life (Main)” by Good B Music
Meditation Music: Reawaken Hymns Worship Pads - foundations in the key of A
In Matthew 14:13–21, Jesus takes five loaves and two fish, blesses them, breaks them, and feeds over five thousand people, leaving twelve baskets of leftovers. The episode explores how Caravaggio's Supper at Emmaus reveals that these same Eucharistic actions point to Christ's desire to satisfy not only physical hunger but also the deepest hunger of the human heart. Through the Eucharist and the Mass, Jesus invites us to encounter His Sacred Heart, discover true hope, and receive an abundance of grace that overflows into the lives of others.
Reflection Questions:
Here is the link to the sacred art piece, Supper at Emmaus by Carvaggio : https://drive.google.com/file/d/1JqDAn6qw_xgiP3Ixf0qbqRmBypkixndy/view?usp=sharing
Here is the link to the Google Slides presentation for experiencing this podcast in a group setting: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1Xn6preTiHJVa4Mqhv-hzXgzCisENyaQxir3ra_hL91k/edit?usp=sharing
Here is the link to the text of the examen from this month: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Rc_uncIksXZlBAywBT2y1SOoFkWFzIqW9TrdOLfjvjY/edit?usp=sharing
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Learn more about the mission of Paradisus Dei and its life-changing parish programs here.
The World English Bible is in the public domain and was used for all scripture quotations.
Intro music: "My Life (Main)” by Good B Music
Meditation Music: Reawaken Hymns Worship Pads - foundations in the key of A
Reflecting on Jesus' parables of the hidden treasure and the pearl of great price (Matthew 13:44-52), this episode explores Eduard Veith's Madonna and Child Surrounded by Angels, revealing how the Holy Family's poverty conceals the riches of heaven. Through the winter landscape, the care of the angels, and the imagined gaze of St. Joseph upon Mary and Jesus, we discover that the Kingdom of God is worth surrendering everything to possess. The episode challenges us to ask whether we have truly sold all that we cling to in our hearts so that Christ may become our greatest treasure.
Reflection Questions:
Here is the link to Eduard Veith's Madonna and Child Surrounded by Angels: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ULMw080tNhnm6SbhPtf3s_rXsZPAYLGh/view?usp=sharing
Here is the link to the Google Slides presentation to experience this podcast in a group setting: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1pUOy8QSApRH1P7JCOPnkWxtySzci-JHKubA_FG8U-DQ/edit?usp=sharingHere is the link to the text of the meditation: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1YOVHKJXSfCclT4R85iD253EC8hxMBK1PfLLacZCGvu4/edit?usp=sharing
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Learn more about the mission of Paradisus Dei and its life-changing parish programs here.
The World English Bible is in the public domain and was used for all scripture quotations.
Intro music: "My Life (Main)” by Good B Music
Meditation Music: Reawaken Hymns Worship Pads - foundations in the key of A
In this episode, we pray with the Gospel of the wheat and weeds, where Jesus teaches, "Let both grow together until the harvest" (Matthew 13:30), and reflect on the icon of Constantine and St. Helen holding the Cross. Through the story of Constantine's conversion and the centrality of the Cross in the icon, we discover that true authority is found not in earthly power but in surrender to Christ, the King of kings. Jesus invites us to stop playing the role of judge, trust His timing, and allow Him to transform the weeds in our hearts into wheat for His Kingdom.
Reflection Questions:
Here's the link to the sacred art piece: Icon of Constantine and Helen: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1rkiFe6y9s3N6Q7T9Vyhq3mPd0IcHt41p/view?usp=sharing
Here's the link to the Google Slides presentation for experiencing this podcast in a group setting: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1KWho46M51fE5O_27QlZM70EyshszRc6kDUV6ub2_0o8/edit?usp=sharing
Here's the link to the text of the mediation from this episode: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1uD46l6WLnA_-8bQgz9Yq0a9eJGa6wdX2DSJX3tgnwks/edit?usp=sharing
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Learn more about the mission of Paradisus Dei and its life-changing parish programs here.
The World English Bible is in the public domain and was used for all scripture quotations.
Intro music: "My Life (Main)” by Good B Music
Meditation Music: Reawaken Hymns Worship Pads - foundations in the key of A
Drawing from Christ's Parable of the Sower in Matthew 13:1-9, this episode reflects on The Angelus by Jean-François Millet and the profound generosity of God who continually sows His gifts into our lives. Through the image of two poor laborers pausing their work to pray, we explore how the Incarnation elevates both the dignity of human work and the dignity of the poor, revealing Christ's presence in ordinary labor and dependence upon divine providence. As Jesus says, "A farmer went out to sow" (Matthew 13:3), so too God lavishly scatters the seed of His love upon every heart, inviting us to receive everything as gift and to work alongside Him in building His Kingdom.
Reflection Questions:
Here's the link to the sacred art piece, a lithograph of The Angelus by Jean-François Millet: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1btQdaVua96iKGzBzaS2m-9o7WzXS1VMP/view?usp=sharing
Here's a link for the Google Slides presentation with the gospel, sacred art, and reflection questions to experience this podcast in a group setting: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/13ac3KHT9AIFoh9OZ5v3BFoHRjocAh5DKu7VsKKKrhwI/edit?usp=sharing
Here's the link to the text of the meditation: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Om6ZEgP3ImXfR0Ap5SAgOgdB1qvRuDTqwmVwW4_69T8/edit?usp=sharing
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Learn more about the mission of Paradisus Dei and its life-changing parish programs here.
The World English Bible is in the public domain and was used for all scripture quotations.
Intro music: "My Life (Main)” by Good B Music
Meditation Music: Reawaken Hymns Worship Pads - foundations in the key of A
Drawing from Jesus' invitation in Matthew 11:25–30, this episode explores how God reveals His deepest truths not to the powerful and self-sufficient, but to those who become like spiritual infants and allow themselves to be loved. Through Interment of Saint Cecilia in the Roman Catacombs by Luis de Madrazo, we discover how St. Cecilia's martyrdom reveals the paradox of the Gospel: that true rest is found not in escaping burdens, but in surrendering them to Christ, who says, "Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest" (Matthew 11:28-30). As we conclude the month with an examen, we are invited to become childlike before the Father, receive His love, and find the rest that only Christ can give.
Reflection Questions:
Here is the link to the sacred art for this week, Interment of Saint Cecilia in the Roman Catacombs by Luis de Madrazo: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1moS5EpH4QS-P-wtpYp9Jbd4uCtHNqf8s/view?usp=sharing
Here is the link to the Google Slides presentation for experiencing this podcast in a group setting: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/19BnLbnxXo1AiDTHBAKuGYQA6rbqUycfdEhmPMc8TShg/edit?usp=sharing
Here is the link to the examen that we did for this week: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1NVLGy19Kx8Zjl4Jtm0DvshgW0Idg1IH3N96ajtOe0Ak/edit?usp=sharing
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Learn more about the mission of Paradisus Dei and its life-changing parish programs here.
The World English Bible is in the public domain and was used for all scripture quotations.
Intro music: "My Life (Main)” by Good B Music
Meditation Music: Reawaken Hymns Worship Pads - foundations in the key of A
In this reflection on Matthew 10:37-42, viewed through Gerrit van Honthorst's The Denial of St. Peter, we encounter Peter stepping away from the candlelight and into darkness as he denies the One he loves most. The episode explores Christ's difficult teaching that we must love Him above all else and reveals that true worthiness is not achieved through our own strength but by begging for and loving with God's own love. Through Peter's failure and eventual repentance, we discover that the path to heaven begins not with self-sufficiency but with becoming humble beggars for divine mercy, grace, and love.
Reflection Questions:
Click here for the sacred art piece of Gerrit van Honthorst's The Denial of St. Peter: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1S8q9SOOQty4w8Oa8i-giVj8qGsxVa-5z/view?usp=sharing
Click here for the Google Slides presentation with the gospel, sacred art piece, and discussion questions for experiencing this as a group: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1ZWt9J1OV7pK8Ee0nq-pBYdhbvAyB3eAyEflHUO2_s24/edit?usp=sharing
Click here for the text of the meditation: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1fs5ckJAxlDLiK6jaxy9tpnA5Qqg6fTYuqSoVwtljdrU/edit?usp=sharing
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Learn more about the mission of Paradisus Dei and its life-changing parish programs here.
The World English Bible is in the public domain and was used for all scripture quotations.
Intro music: "My Life (Main)” by Good B Music
Meditation Music: Reawaken Hymns Worship Pads - foundations in the key of A
Through William Bouguereau's Madonna with Child and John the Baptist, we explore Christ's repeated command in Matthew 10 to "do not be afraid" and reveals that true courage flows from knowing we are deeply loved. The childlike affection between Jesus and John, sheltered beneath Mary's maternal gaze, becomes an icon of the trust, vulnerability, and confidence that every Christian is called to possess before God. By remaining close to Christ and His Mother, we can learn to acknowledge the truth without fear, trusting that perfect love is stronger than anxiety, suffering, and even death.
Reflection Questions:
Click this link to the sacred art piece, William Bouguereau's Madonna with Child and John the Baptist: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1itKIpIp9Vj6STTNPv0yJ_Y1AQqZykQv_/view?usp=sharing
Click this link for the text of the meditation: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1FdA2I0YXWlf2AAD7y1Pswy4u8R6fW4Jex8nQTURHzcI/edit?usp=sharing
Click this link for the Google Slides Presentation with the sacred art piece, gospel, and reflection questions for viewing as a group: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1f1gNa3sWvAF46e0fkpK7Qa0-DSr25xY8jSl5oOACKdo/edit?usp=sharing
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Learn more about the mission of Paradisus Dei and its life-changing parish programs here.
The World English Bible is in the public domain and was used for all scripture quotations.
Intro music: "My Life (Main)” by Good B Music
Meditation Music: Reawaken Hymns Worship Pads - foundations in the key of A
Reflecting on Matthew 9:36–10:8 through Nicolás Francés's painting of the Twelve Apostles, this episode explores how God calls unique individuals into a unified mission for the salvation of souls. The apostles reveal that holiness is not uniformity but a beautiful diversity of gifts, personalities, and vocations united in Christ and His Church. Most powerfully, the episode highlights that the apostles became the answer to their own prayer for laborers, inviting us to recognize that God may also be calling us to become the answer to the prayers we offer today.
Reflection Questions:
Here's the link to “The Twelve Apostles" by Nicolás Francés: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1WqP2IYdQsiQC9xIqdxLhX82kVm_ykVW4/view?usp=sharing
Here's the link to the Presentation to show for a group setting: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1mn7S8do6tBg5PWbXqgQRknLcnZ8s_NTEEV90C9Olkso/edit?usp=sharing
Here's the link to the text of the meditation: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ZSc0mZgYGZZ2qxcd4u_n6U591E4VvZJCkjPIIPUgwO0/edit?usp=sharing
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Learn more about the mission of Paradisus Dei and its life-changing parish programs here.
The World English Bible is in the public domain and was used for all scripture quotations.
Intro music: "My Life (Main)” by Good B Music
Meditation Music: Reawaken Hymns Worship Pads - foundations in the key of A
On the Solemnity of Corpus Christi, this episode reflects on Jesus’ teaching in John 6: 51-58 and a 15th-century German painting of the Last Supper to explore the mystery of the Eucharist as Christ’s true Body and Blood. Through the artwork’s symbolism, listeners are invited to see Christ as the divine Giver who blesses, breaks, and gives Himself for the life of the world, while recognizing themselves in St. John resting close to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The episode emphasizes that Christ enters our brokenness, nourishes us through the Eucharist, and calls us to believe that His Real Presence can transform our lives and lead us to eternal life.
Reflection Questions:
Here's the link for "The Last Supper" by an unknown master German Artist: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1pp-sBZPzjK2BvNBvY4rpeTErX_eBi1gb/view?usp=sharing
Here's the link for the Google Slides presentation with the sacred art piece and gospel to project for a group: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1uGBMlObfSLXpSC-lZbOCtiM4JbWDVYy0CPj6V0IgZRs/edit?usp=sharing
Here's the link to the text of the meditation: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-fjHanlTJdNxIl-xKOqs7V27V2MGCSuZgSbnRVBupL8/edit?usp=sharing
_______________
Learn more about the mission of Paradisus Dei and its life-changing parish programs here.
The World English Bible is in the public domain and was used for all scripture quotations.
Intro music: "My Life (Main)” by Good B Music
Meditation Music: Reawaken Hymns Worship Pads - foundations in the key of A
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