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
This episode reflects on the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity through John 3:16–18 and The Hospitality of Abraham by Andrei Rublev, revealing the Trinity not as an abstract doctrine but as a divine communion of love that invites us into relationship. Through the symbolism of the icon—especially the open place at the table—the listener is encouraged to see themselves personally welcomed into the life of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, especially through the Eucharist and the Mass. The episode culminates in an examen that helps listeners reflect on God’s deeply personal love by placing their own name into John 3:16 and discerning how to respond more fully to God’s invitation.
Reflection Questions
The link to the image of the sacred art piece "The Hospitality of Abraham" by Andrei Rublev: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1hEZgSBjHe9_GuZwz_RcX4jP81ztN4b1w/view?usp=sharing
The link to the Google Slides presentation with the image and the gospel reading for those experiencing this podcast as a group: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1Edd_-N4Ta_RrynzVBDkc84UUJx-tCtaFgVZzICeUSdY/edit?usp=sharing
The link to the examen: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1X7bj_fK_n4L7IYAB58nPhOjWT6k5off1E8YVgRd8Ysk/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
This Pentecost reflection on John 20: 19-23 explores how the Holy Spirit enters into locked and fearful hearts, bringing peace, renewal, and mission, just as Jesus breathed the Spirit upon the disciples in the upper room. Through Félix-Henri Giacomotti’s La Pentecôte, the episode highlights Mary’s central role in moments of divine outpouring and emphasizes that the gifts of the Holy Spirit are meant not to be hoarded, but multiplied through loving service to others. Ultimately, Pentecost is presented not merely as a dramatic event of fire and power, but as a quiet invitation into surrender, silence, and openness to God’s transforming presence.
Reflection Questions:
The digital image of Giacomotti’s La Pentecôte: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1m8ojz6Q60iazgMx9aGlKr43i7SQAWkeB/view?usp=sharing
The Text of the Meditation: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1dOlje2khBZiybRhB97SoXyDhilBvfGv5Amd8EkV6jZI/edit?usp=sharing
The link to the Google Slides Presentation to show for a group: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1iaLgzURZ0ZZSuHdYQM4XYvhvBlPxSyEH6pV-tCaA1yo/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
Using Rembrandt’s The Ascension of the Lord alongside Matthew 28:16–20, this reflection explores how Christ’s Ascension invites us to lift our hearts toward heaven while remaining rooted in His presence through the Church and the Eucharist. By returning to Galilee—the place of first love for the disciples—Jesus teaches us to revisit the moments of conversion where we first encountered His mercy so that His light can spill into our present darkness. Through sacred art and prayer, we are reminded that Christ ascends not to abandon us, but to bring our wounded humanity home to the Father and remain universally present through the Holy Spirit, the Church, and the Eucharist.
Reflection Questions:
"The Ascension of the Lord" by Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (c. 1636): https://drive.google.com/file/d/1mQy9shxW-zStUoGzljasH6LbUEFlaknN/view?usp=drive_link
Meditation Link (you can copy and paste if the hyperlink is not available): https://docs.google.com/document/d/19V-ZW7RY0i_AaCalOs0bdDcEOyf0kcFvEaeruz0hTGk/edit?usp=sharing
Presentation Link for use as a group (you can copy and paste the link if the hyperlink is not available): https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1w03RXkHQwtOBFdFAbg-sqiv1CtC2M21hB0IjMDyHwJ0/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 on John 14: 15-21, Jesus promises that we are not abandoned but deeply loved children of God, given the Holy Spirit and His own presence so we are never left as orphans. Through His sacrifice and the gift of the Eucharist, He restores our identity as sons and daughters, healing the wounds of sin and separation. The call is clear: receive His love, keep His commandments, and live from your true identity rather than acting out of fear, shame, or spiritual orphanhood.
Reflection Questions:
Here' the link to the text of the meditation: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1K_wI_zZlX2Wrj_OCaWV2WKgrDlfzFIQO-ye5espsv_Q/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 on John 14:1-12, Jesus reveals that He is not just a guide but the Way itself—the only path to the Father, who is the true destination of our deepest longing. Through the image of pilgrimage, the reflection shows that without a clear destination, life becomes aimless, but with Christ, every step has purpose, even in suffering. By receiving His life, especially in the Eucharist, and living in His truth and forgiveness, we journey home to the Father who alone can satisfy the human heart.
Reflection Questions:
Here's a link to the meditation/examen: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1HH74cGCxuuOUqUBnnZUpAs8lze69oSFnXZB-ShUBWvk/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 the gospel for next Sunday, John 10: 1-10, Jesus reveals Himself as the Good Shepherd who lovingly calls His sheep by name, invites them to recognize His voice, and leads them into abundant life. The episode emphasizes that God speaks not just through words, but through the “language of the heart”—a quiet, intimate experience of His presence that requires trust, vulnerability, and consistency in prayer. Like the bride recognizing her fiancé by touch, we learn to discern God’s voice by becoming familiar with His gentle movements in our hearts, even amid confusion, silence, and suffering.
Reflection Questions:
Here's a link to the meditation: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1tv60LQTv3ljliMz-p8KR1Lt3U1mQHdQwbt9SuJJsM3Y/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
This episode on Gospel of Luke 24:13–35 reveals that the story of Cleopas and the road to Emmaus is not just a past event, but the very pattern of every Mass today. Just as the disciples encountered Jesus in their pain and recognized Him in the breaking of the bread, we too are invited to move from routine to real encounter with Christ in the Eucharist. The episode challenges listeners to approach Mass with renewed faith, seeing it as a living meeting with the risen Jesus who walks with us in our pain and transforms it into joy.Reflection Questions:
Here's the link to the meditation: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1nbQ102_OpEyJxg8zNWaDP_qqF2la8XTF71tTwphmgmo/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
This episode reflects on Divine Mercy Sunday through Gospel of John 20:19–23, revealing that the risen Christ enters our fear, guilt, and shame not with condemnation, but with the gift of peace through forgiveness. Through the powerful witness of Immaculée Ilibagiza, the episode shows that true Christian mission is not primarily about great external works, but about radical forgiveness that flows from receiving God’s mercy. Ultimately, it challenges listeners to become missionaries of mercy—receiving Christ’s peace in the sacraments and extending it to others, even when it costs everything.Reflection Questions:
Here's a link to the meditation: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ZC8FzEXTIEftzvjpQ1-8gC2TjwqgF-UkOPDfsLvkWTE/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
This episode centers on Mary Magdalene in Gospel of John 20: 1–9, revealing how deep love for Christ becomes a channel of “superabundant mercy”—a grace that prevents us from falling into sin rather than just forgiving us after. Through a personal story of heartbreak and unexpected redirection from missionary life, Zac shows how choosing to praise God in suffering becomes the very way God protects and heals the heart. You are invited to recognize the hidden mercies in your own life and to actively extend that same mercy to others, especially in moments where bitterness or self-protection would be easier.
Reflection Questions:
Here's a link to the examen: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1QS4Lgi78OYcOoipmZ9g_Pf6Pzd3BZQp6LzBy7ahFojM/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
This episode connects Gospel of Matthew 21:1–11 with the mystery of the Incarnation, showing how Jesus intentionally enters Jerusalem in radical humility by riding a donkey—a symbol of burden, suffering, and the human condition. Drawing from his lived experience in Kibera, Zac illustrates how the donkey mirrors our own wounded and burdened hearts, which Christ chooses to sit upon and carry into victory as the true “Living Water.” The invitation of Palm Sunday is to recognize Christ coming to us through others’ suffering, to lay down our burdens before Him, and to welcome Him as King into the “Jerusalem” of our own lives.
Reflection Questions:
Here's a link to the meditation: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1rFOrpouYyrlIeIChXaZIN4dxl1hn_1ydIjgPQnQjm5s/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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