• Pond King, Inc. (Gainesville, TX): http://pondking.com/services/fish_stocking/stocking_price_list.asp

• Magnolia Fisheries, Coppell

From "Letters to Spiritual Children," by Abbot Nikon (one of my favorite spiritual books)

Recognize your fallen nature and find comfort in the unfathomable love of God.

"He who rejects justified or unjustified criticism, rejects his own salvation." Whoever gains the ability to see his own sinfulness, sees not individual sins, but the complete distortion of his soul which constantly exudes all manner of evil; what's more, he sees that even his good deeds are saturated with the poison of sin. When a man sees this clearly, and likewise becomes convinced after a thousand incidents that he cannot heal the leprosy of his soul on his own, then he will genuinely (not artifically) humble himself, will stop judging others, and no longer take offense when his feelings are hurt. In others, too, he sees only the same fallen nature that he notices in himself and pities them as common friends in misfortune. He will then stop exalting some and belittling others. He will stop judging altogether for, on the one hand, everyone is fallen and, on the other hand, "human measure deceives" no matter how objective we try to be. How can a man then justify himself in his sinfulness? How can he be offended if someone accuses him of something he is seemingly not guilty of, when we all have a countless number of the worst possible sins which no one knows about thanks to the mercy of God, Who conceals them?

We should find comfort not in the supposedly good deeds we have done, but in the unfathomable love God has for us fallen creatures. We should find comfort in the Cross of Christ, in the fact that we are "the image of His ineffable glory though we bear the wounds of sin." Jesus Christ came to earth to "raise up the image that was fallen." Eternal gratitude is due to Him, together with the Father and the Holy Spirit, from all creatures!

May all our good deeds vanish in His sight and from the depths of "God's image" may we cry out together with the publican: "God, be merciful to me, a sinner! God, be merciful to all of us sinners!" Then we shall leave this life justified, as the publican left the church, and we shall enter with the sheep into the eternal pasture.

Discerning asceticism, together with humility and love sanctify people very
quickly, with less physical strain.

The more one progresses in the spiritual life attending to himself, the wider
the eyes of the soul open and the more clearly he discerns his mistakes and the
many benefactions of God. Thus man is humbled and inwardly crushed, and then the
Grace of God - divine enlightenment - comes naturally and he becomes more
discerning.

God does not help the greatly sensitive and philotimo* man to become conscious
either of his sinfulness or of the many benefactions of God, so as not to
despair. The more he progresses, however, and gradually becomes stronger, the
more God reveals to him. The same applies to the man with pride: God does not
help him cut off his passions, so as not to become even prouder. When finally he
is disgusted with himself because of his constant falls, he becomes aware of his
weakness and is humbled; then God's Grace draws near him and helps him climb the
spiritual stairs two at a time.
...
Certainly, we all have some discernment, but unfortunately most of us do not use
it on ourselves but on our fellowmen (so as not to be...distinguished) and we
contaminate it with criticism, condemnation, and the demand for others to
correct themselves. We should, rather, demand this only from ourselves who do
not resolve to struggle fervently, cut off our passions, liberate our soul, and
fly into Heaven.

Those who do not resolve to begin their struggle with philotimo, but spend their
life in the "indefinite tense" will be constantly dazed and found to be both
spiritually and physically ill. Finally, the gifts that God has given them and
for which He will require an answer will be rendered useless.
...
Self-accusation and self-criticism greatly help the scales fall from our soul's
eyes, so that we might see clearly.

Sensitive people must be very careful of self-accusation, because the devil
tries to convert it into despair (through hypersensitivity). Self-accusation
must always be accompanied by hope in God. When someone feels anxiety in this
case, he must realize that the evil one has his tail in it.

When a person feels great pain for his sinfulness or his ungratefulness towards
God, but hopes very much in God, he is greatly consoled by Him."

- Elder Paisios of Mount Athos, "Epistles"

* philotimo: the reverent distillation of goodness, the love shown by humble
people, from which every trace of self has been filtered out. Their hearts are
full of gratitude towards God and to their fellow men, and out of spiritual
sensitivity, they try to repay the slightest good which others do them.

_____________________________________________________________________________
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
Isaac, Founder of the Dalmaton Monastery in Constantinople
Kellia: Deuteronomy 8:1-10 Epistle: Romans 1:18-27
Gospel: St. Matthew 5:20-26

Expect Only Good From God: Deuteronomy 8:1-10, especially vs. 3: “And He 
afflicted thee and straitened thee with hunger, and fed thee with manna, 
which thy fathers knew not; that He might teach thee that man shall not 
live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of 
God shall man live.” Dionysios the Areopagite, reflecting on the nature 
of God, says, “'Tis the whole Being of the Supernal Godhead (saith the 
Scripture) that the Absolute Goodness hath defined and revealed. For in 
what other sense may we take the words of Holy Writ when it tells us how 
the Godhead spake concerning Himself, and said: ‘Why asketh thou Me 
concerning the good? None is good save One, that is, God [Mk. 10:18].’” 
Let us then expect only the good from God; at the same time, let us also 
understand that it is He Who defines the good even as He gives what is 
the best for us.

In this passage from Deuteronomy, the Prophet Moses reveals four things 
the People of God may expect from the Lord: 1) He will humble us, 2) He 
will test us, 3) He will discipline us, and 4) He will bring us “into a 
good land” (vs. 7). Moses further reminds us that God gives us these 
good things with a desire to evoke right thinking and wholesome actions 
from us.

The successful man of the world may object to the Prophet’s proposal 
that humbling is one of God’s good gifts to His Beloved. Yes, there is a 
painful, bitter side to being humbled, but notice what Moses reveals as 
God’s purpose in humbling us: “to know what was in [our] heart” (vs. 2). 
So that God might know? Not at all, for the Lord already knows what is 
in a man’s heart (Jn. 2:25). Rather, the Lord humbles us that we might 
discover what is in our heart, that we might face whether we are 
inclined to keep His commandments, and that, with this knowledge, we 
might cleanse everything from our heart that is not worthy of us or our 
Creator.

God tests us also, Moses says (Deut. 8:2), and the Prophet closely 
associates God’s testing of His People with His humbling of us. God does 
test and humble us, not only that we should discern what is going on in 
our hearts, but also to learn that “man shall not live by bread alone, 
but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God shall man live” 
(vs. 3).

God tested ancient Israel by leading them into a desert largely devoid 
of resources for food and shelter. In the stark barrenness of Sinai, the 
Lord provided an unexpected food, called manna, a source of nourishment 
they had not experienced before. Furthermore, He took care that their 
clothing did not wear out (vss. 3,4).

Testing and humbling are Divinely provided educational experiences that 
rouse our hearts to utter dependence on God and heighten the acuity of 
our spiritual ears so that we become attentive to the word of God in 
every situation, in every temptation (Mt. 4:3,4), and in all choices and 
decisions (1 Kngs. 3:9).

We may also expect discipline from the Lord that we may grow in the 
capacity to walk in His ways and fear Him (Deut. 8:6). Even when 
discipline is experienced as punishment, so long as it is received from 
the hand of the Lord, not in bitterness or anger toward Him, it can 
guide us through the “narrow gate” and onto that “difficult...way which 
leads to life” (Mt. 7:13).

Finally, God’s humbling, testing, and disciplining have the great value 
of awakening us to the truth that He is bringing [us] into a “good land” 
(Deut. 8:7). For ancient Israel, Moses spelled out the evidence of the 
goodness of the Promised Land, that they might remember (as we also 
should) “to bless the Lord [our] God for the good land He has given 
[us]” (vs. 10). In Christ, we expect a “good land” that is “not of this 
world,” but a Kingdom rich in life, both now and ever.

“Our Father Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name: Thy Kingdom come. 
Thy will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven” (Mt. 6:9-10).


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What or Who distinguishes us as a People? Out of the diversity which
St. Maximos describes, how is it that we are set aside as the People of
God? In the present reading, Prophet Moses speaks to the ancient People
of God, to the sons of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, concerning their
formation as the People of God; and we Christians do well to pay
attention to his words, for we are the successors to Israel and the
awesome title, "the People of God." Therefore, the substance of the
teaching Moses applies to us. Ancient Israel is a type of the Church to
which we are joined, or as St. Maximos says, to which we are "reborn and
recreated in the Spirit."

As one first reads Moses, it is the physical Promised land that appears
to distinguish ancient Israel as the People of God, "the land which He
sware to thy fathers, to Abraham, and to Isaac, and to Jacob (vs. 10).
Moses makes much of cities, houses, household effects, cisterns,
vineyards, and orchards which Israel was about to take by conquest -
property they did not develop (vs. 11). However, he is definite that it
is not physical possession that constitutes them as a people like so
many conquering nations who immediately call what they invade by their
own names, speaking of a territory as their Fatherland or Motherland.

The true distinguishing mark of Israel is also what marks the Church:
when we hold in remembrance the Lord our God "in the midst" of us (vs.
15) and "cleave to Him and by His name...swear" our vows and oaths (vs.
13). The second century "Letter to Diognetos" notes that "Christians
are not differentiated from other people by country, language or
customs; you see, they do not live in cities of their own, or speak some
strange dialect, or have some peculiar lifestyle....They live in their
own native land, but as aliens."

In addition, the Prophet stresses the fact that the People of Israel
were "Pharaoh's slaves [whom] the Lord brought...out of Egypt" (vs.
21). Like ancient Israel, the Church also gained freedom by God's hand,
for He has delivered us out of the hand of the enemy, "trampling down
death by death." What distinguishes Israel and the Church as the People
of God is freedom created for and revealed in us by God. "Before our
eyes" the Lord showed us "signs and great and grievous wonders in
Egypt," that place of sin and death that formerly enslaved us (vs. 22).
Finally, like ancient Israel, we have a liberation to enjoy as the
People of God, a freedom to serve. God's service is perfect freedom.
As Moses declares, the Lord our God gives us His Divine statutes and
commandments "that it may be well with us for ever, that we may live, as
even to-day" (vs. 24). God's commands are not oppressive, but "for
good;" and so obeying them assures us "that it may be well with us for
ever, that we may live, as even to-day" (vs. 25).

We pray Thee, O Lord, be mindful of Thy Holy Catholic and Apostolic
Church to the ends of earth; and give peace unto Her whom Thou hast
purchased with the Blood of Thy Christ.