Zac Wierschem

Taste & See

Religion EN ↓ 92 episodes

Taste & See is a weekly podcast of heartfelt reflections and meditations on the Sunday readings. Join Zac Wierschem from 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

Author

Zac Wierschem

Category

Religion

Podcast website

podcasters.spotify.com

Latest episode

Jul 7, 2026

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Episodes

Everything is Gift 07.07.2026

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 p...

In Love, At Rest 30.06.2026

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 tru...

Beggars for Love 23.06.2026

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 a...

Fearless in Love 16.06.2026

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 Chris...

The Answered Prayer 09.06.2026

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...

The Heart That Hungers 02.06.2026

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 themse...

A Place at Table 26.05.2026

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...

Spirit and Silence 19.05.2026

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 me...

Return to Galilee 12.05.2026

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...

No Longer Orphans 05.05.2026

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 fr...

The Way Home 28.04.2026

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...

The Language of the Heart 21.04.2026

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 i...

Recognizing Him Again 14.04.2026

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...

The Whole Gospel in Three Words 07.04.2026

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...

Step 7: Practice Superabundant Mercy 31.03.2026

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...

Step 6: Find God in Others 24.03.2026

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 vi...

Step 5: Find God in Yourself 17.03.2026

On this Fifth Sunday of Lent in John 11:1–45, Jesus reveals Himself as “the resurrection and the life,” entering into human suffering—He even weeps—and calling Lazarus out of death to manifest God’s glory. Through the story of Raul, a dying man encountered at the Missionaries of Charity, the episode shows that even in weakness and confusion, there can be a profound encounter with God dwelling with...

Step 4: Rejoice, Beloved Sinner 10.03.2026

In this episode we reflect on Gospel of John 9:1–41 where Jesus heals the man born blind and reveals that true sight is not only physical vision but the ability to recognize God at work in our lives. As the fourth step of the Lenten journey toward superabundance— Set Your Mind on the Things Above —listeners are invited to see themselves honestly as beloved beggars before God who depend completely...

Step 3: Give God Your Time — Thirsting for Living Water 03.03.2026

Reflecting on Gospel of John 4:5–42 (The Woman at the Well), the third step to superabundance invites us to give God some of our time in prayer, especially at the places of our deepest thirst. Just as Jesus meets the Samaritan woman at noon—at the height of heat, shame, and longing—He waits for us in our guilt, distraction, and spiritual dryness, asking only, “Give me a drink.” By offering Him int...

Step 2: Use Money for Others 24.02.2026

In this episode reflecting on Gospel of Mark 9:2–10 and the Transfiguration, the second step to superabundance invites us to use money for others as a natural response to an authentic encounter with Christ. Just as the disciples saw everything differently after meeting Jesus on the mountain, a true encounter with Him—especially at Mass—transforms our relationship with money from something to posse...

The First Step to Superabundance: Honor Your Vows 17.02.2026

For the First Sunday of Lent, reflecting on Gospel of Matthew 4:1–11, this episode launches the “7 Steps to Superabundance” with Step 1: Honor Your Vows. Through the example of a father’s fidelity during his wife’s battle with cancer and Christ’s victory over temptation in the desert, we see that real strength is proven in faithfulness, not comfort. Lent becomes a training ground where, led by the...

Fulfilled by Love 10.02.2026

In this episode about Matthew 5: 17-20, we reflect on Jesus’ words that He came not to abolish the law, but to fulfill it—by filling it to the brim with love. Through Zac's personal story of rigidity, a meditation on the Pharisees, and the image of the law as a cup, we see how obedience without love can miss God’s deeper gift. Ultimately, the Cross is revealed as the fullest interpretation of the...

Taste of Joy 03.02.2026

In this episode, we reflect on Jesus’ call to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world, drawing from lived experience among the Missionaries of Charity in Kenya and the witness of a joyful sister who embodied this Gospel (Matthew 5:13–16). Through the image of salt—its power to preserve and to give flavor—we examine how our lives are meant to safeguard goodness and make life worth livin...

The Comfort of Mourning 27.01.2026

Summary In this episode, we sit with the Beatitudes in Matthew 5: 1-12 as Jesus reveals the paradoxical path to true happiness. Through personal vulnerability and the suffering of the world around us, we reflect on what it means to mourn with God rather than turn away from pain. “Blessed are those who mourn” becomes an invitation to share in God’s own heart—and to discover the comfort that only He...

Light in the Darkness 20.01.2026

In Matthew 4:12–17 , Jesus enters Galilee and fulfills Isaiah’s promise: “The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light.” This episode reflects on how physical sickness became a doorway into spiritual surrender, revealing a deeper truth—that our greatest illness is often the need to control rather than to trust. Through the image of Christ as the Divine Physician, we are invited to see th...

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