"When I look back on my life, I can see that God made use of that time to shape me into a better man, the sort of man who could say 'Yes' to His call."
BR. LUKAS WIEDMAN, OP
TAKE A MOMENT TO
MEET BR. LUKAS!
If you could be taught by any deceased Dominican, who would you pick? What question(s) would you ask him or her? (Friar, Sister, Lay Fraternity, etc.)
I would choose Saint Thomas Aquinas. His philosophy and theology have become the bedrock of the Church, but his works were incomplete in his lifetime. I'd be interested to collaborate with him to finish the Summa Theologiae.
What's your favorite book of the Bible and why?
My favorite book of the Bible is the Gospel of Luke. I was named for Saint Luke, which naturally inclined me to like his Gospel growing up. As I read the Gospels, I came to appreciate Luke's devotion to Mary, attention to historical detail, and demonstration of Jesus' wide-ranging ministry of healing. I also translated the Gospel of Luke from Greek into English for a school project, and this gave me a further appreciation for the text.
What's the most interesting or pointless fact you know?
There's a word for referring to nieces and nephews collectively: niblings!
What did you want to be growing up and why?
Starting in 7th grade I wanted to be an astronaut. We watched a video of people in zero gravity in science class. I thought that would be incredible to experience, and I knew that astronauts regularly experience zero gravity, so I set my heart on going to space!
TIPS FROM BR. LUKAS:
How old were you when you realized you wanted to pursue Religious Life? What was that process like for you?
I was 26 years old when I realized that I wished to pursue a Dominican vocation. Prior to that I had been considering a diocesan vocation for about a year in a slow process of reading and prayer. My call to the Dominicans struck me like a thunderbolt - God made it clear that what I'd been seeking was in the Dominican Order! After that I pursued my Dominican vocation with enthusiasm, reading books about Saint Dominic and religious life and visiting various Dominican communities.
Any words of encouragement?
Don't worry about taking your time with discernment! God doesn't waste any time when it comes to calling us to Him. When I first began discerning my call I had some regret that I didn't begin sooner. However, when I look back on my life, I can see that God made use of that time to shape me into a better man, the sort of man who could say "Yes" to His call. Furthermore, my life experiences have contributed to my vocation in unexpected ways. Though a programming job doesn't seem useful, the background in analyzing code and problems has proven useful in thinking about and composing papers.