Today is the feast of St. Padre Pio da Pietrelcina.
Most Catholics are familiar with his offficial bio and pictures. He's one of my favorite saints, being quite the character in addition to his holiness. I saw this picture (photographer unknown) on the above site and just love it. It's so touching, and shows him as the tender person he was, in addition to his holiness.
One story I heard recently is about St. Pio's love of pasta. The story goes that he happened to receive a letter addressed to Saint Padre Pio. His reaction was to laugh and tell his fellow brothers, "Yes, the Saint Pio will grant anything to those who give me pasta!" So, in honor of St. Pio, and in hopes that his promise is still good, have a good plate of pasta, offer prayers to St. Padre Pio, and be sure to tell him how much you enjoy the pasta, so he can enjoy it with you.
If he was a true pasta lover, the offer may have no expiration date. So offer a prayer in honor of St. Pio every time you have pasta. Accidental praise may be the best kind. Atkins dieters can try this with spaghetti squash. It might work. Praise is praise ;-)
Here's a site with some spiritual quotes of St. Padre Pio. Definitely one to bookmark.
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