“When you sit down to eat, prayerfully reflect that you have in your midst the Divine Master and his holy apostles at the last meal he had with them when he instituted the sacrament of the altar.” —letter to Raffaelina Cerase, December 17, 1914

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For most of us, the image we most associate with Holy Thursday is the one painted by Leonardo da Vinci of Christ and his disciples breaking bread on the evening before Jesus was betrayed and turned over to be put to death. At some point, all of us have taken part in large meals, either with friends or family. From them we receive not only physical nourishment, but also the spiritual nourishment that comes from being together. That combina-tion of community and sustenance is what we find when we receive Holy Communion. Though he himself did not eat very much, partly due to his illnesses, Padre Pio found great nourishment in receiving the Holy Eucharist, just as we should. 
Praying with Padre Pio 
St. Pio, let your love of the Holy Communion be a shining example for us and inspire in us a willing-ness to partake in the sacrament as often as pos-sible and fully embrace its meaning.