Taste & See

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:

1. Where in my life has God protected me from sin before I even fell?
2. How do I typically respond when my plans fall apart unexpectedly?
3. How can I make it easier for others to do good and harder to fall into sin?

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:

1. Where in my life do I feel like a “beast of burden,” weighed down by responsibilities or suffering?
2. When I encounter someone who is struggling, do I see inconvenience—or an opportunity to encounter Christ?
3. What practical step can I take to lighten someone else’s burden this week?

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

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 within us, inviting us into deeper union with Him. Step 5 of the Lenten journey—“Find God in Yourself”—calls us to recognize that God is not distant but present within our suffering, speaking our name and inviting us to come out of whatever binds us into new life.Reflection Questions

1. How do I respond when God doesn’t act on my timeline, like when Jesus delayed going to Lazarus?
2. What does it mean to me personally that “Jesus wept”?
3. Raul was dying but seeing—am I living, but failing to see?

Here's a link to the meditation: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1TgHCE4NdPvJmcWU13QSYQ-mS5V5C2trfIIyOaURUbmc/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

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 on His mercy. When we allow Christ to open the eyes of our hearts, we begin to see the extraordinary love of God present even in the ordinary and difficult moments of our lives.

Reflection Questions

1. In what areas of my life might I be spiritually blind right now?
2. What might Jesus be trying to reveal to me through the ordinary events of my daily life?
3. What would it look like this week to intentionally “set my mind on the things above”?

Here's a link to the meditation: https://docs.google.com/document/d/19FPsZbf3ILsBQzZXBQWXxrKepI3IzvMfG-44Mc_JGK0/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

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 intentional time in prayer, we allow Him to satisfy our thirst with living water, transforming our shame into mission and our emptiness into joy.

Journal Questions:

1. Do I believe that Jesus is already waiting for me in my place of shame?
2. Where in my life right now do I feel most thirsty—emotionally, spiritually, or relationally?
3. What is one concrete time this week I can set aside solely for prayer?

Here's the link to the meditation: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1vvvavRLmqhvfKcIv9DTjNimxQHBBsD1GwkgFezBd1vg/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

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 possess into something to offer in love. Through a personal story of giving away childhood savings and a guided examen, the episode challenges listeners to detach from scarcity, grow in generosity, and see all financial resources as tools entrusted to them for the service of love.Journey Questions:

1. Do I feel more joy spending money on myself or giving it away? Why?
2. Am I living with a mentality of scarcity or abundance?
3. Who in my life right now could benefit from my generosity?

Here's a link to the examen: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1cg-jzjNwptW2LBNTHiDKCS2lu9OZthaSH0riwqRDvLY/edit?usp=sharing

General Information:

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

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 Spirit, strengthened by fasting, and armed with Scripture, we learn to protect both our baptismal and marital vows.

Reflection Questions:

1. Do you see your baptismal promises as real, binding vows—or more like distant memories?
2. Where might you be relying on your own strength instead of God’s grace?
3. What Bible verses could you commit to memory to defend your vows?

Meditation:

Here's a link to the meditation: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1z1ac1PAxGgpWS8dvKsMOSzqbt0ihY6CQ6typOpAvalk/edit?usp=sharing

Dust to Glory with Gomer, Mark Hartfiel, and Zac Wierschem:

Here's the promo for the 40 Day video series I mentioned: Dust to Glory: 40 Days with the Saints: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s3zUR-PDzrM

Paradisus Dei:

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 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 law: Christ’s love poured out for us, washing us clean and inviting our hearts to overflow with divine love.

Reflection Questions

1. When you hear Jesus say He came to “fulfill” the law, what does that stir in your heart?
2. Where do you see God’s love overflowing beyond what seems reasonable or “by the book”?
3. This week, how can you intentionally fill your obedience to God with love rather than fear or rigidity?

Meditation

Here's a link to the meditation: https://docs.google.com/document/d/12_pT_CvLPUHPhD3Ix2mBx_gQb1TK1ZNMsSqJHX_qDhM/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

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 living for others. Jesus invites us to purity, integrity, and joyful witness so that, through our visible lives, others may give glory to the Father._

Reflection Questions:

1. Who has been “salt and light” in my life, helping me remember that life is worth living?
2. In what ways might my life have become spiritually “bland” or numb?
3. Where might Jesus be asking me to trust again and step toward a life of deeper “flavor”?

_

Here's the link to the meditation: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1cgyHBwRdCpnakGFFi2q_4D0wbIMBLBRCkcIuu8NlAKw/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

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 can give.

__

Reflection Questions

1. Where have I grown comfortable in a way that has dulled my compassion for others’ suffering?
2. What might God be revealing to me about my own heart through discomfort or conviction?
3. What would it look like this week to mourn with God and respond in love, prayer, or action?

__

Meditation

Here's the link to the meditation: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1tA1haz-k7PE9EHyngfQO2gOuCd-fKc2NryINWaTFEy4/edit?usp=sharing

__Important Information

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