The Publican & the Pharisee: Who Is Your Point of Reference?

About this sermon

In today’s Gospel of the Publican and the Pharisee, it’s tempting to reduce the message to a simple formula: publican good, Pharisee bad. But Christ is pointing us to something far deeper — our point of reference. Using the image of navigating a city, this homily explains how our spiritual life works the same way. If our reference point is other people, comparison creeps in. Pride follows. And humility disappears. But when our reference point is the Lord Himself, we begin to see the truth about ourselves — and the need for mercy. The Pharisee fasts, tithes, prays, and attends worship — all good things. Yet he measures himself against his brother. The Publican, on the other hand, fixes his eyes on God alone and prays the words that should become our own: “God, be merciful to me, a sinner.” This homily is especially powerful as we enter the Lenten Triodion, reminding us that growth in holiness is not about outperforming others, but about striving toward the image of Christ. 📿 Whether you struggle with comparison, pride, discouragement, or complacency, this message is a needed reminder of what authentic repentance really looks like. Christ is among us. 0:00 – Christ is among us 0:20 – Why we need reference points to navigate life 0:47 – The CN Tower, Detroit skyline, and finding direction 1:32 – The danger of oversimplifying the Gospel 2:25 – The real problem with the Pharisee 2:50 – The Pharisee’s reference point: other people 3:05 – The Publican’s reference point: the Lord 3:29 – “God be merciful to me, a sinner” 3:55 – Why comparison is spiritually deadly 4:19 – “I haven’t killed anyone” and false righteousness 4:43 – Lent, repentance, and the image of Christ 5:24 – Who we are really striving to become 5:38 – Closing prayer For more please visit https://www.youtube.com/@steliasbrampton & say 3 Hail Marys for the priest 🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴 Support Catholic Businesses here - https://sensusfidelium.com/catholic-businesses/ Sensus Fidelium Press - https://sensusfideliumpress.com/ Sensus Fidelium Apps - https://sensusfidelium.tv/ Support Sensus Fidelium - https://sensusfidelium.com/donate-support/ 🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴 🙏🏻PLEASE HELP OUR CHANNEL GROW 🙏🏻 ▶️ 1. Become a Channel Patron: https://www.patreon.com/SensusFidelium ▶️ 2. Visit the website https://www.sensusfidelium.us for Gueranger, Saint of the Day, Apologetics, Meditation by the Saints, Scripture Study and more. ▶️ 3. Subscribe to Other Video Platforms 🔴 SpiritusTV - https://spiritustv.com/@SensusFidelium 🔴 BitChute --- https://www.bitchute.com/channel/Sensus_Fidelium/ 🔴 Rumble --- https://rumble.com/c/c-298311 🔴 My Catholic Tube - https://mycatholictube.com/videos/sensus-fidelium-channel/ 🔴 LBRY.tv --- https://lbry.tv/@SensusFidelium:c 🔴 ODYSEE - https://odysee.com/@SensusFidelium:c 🔴 UGETube - https://videos.utahgunexchange.com/@Sensus%20Fidelium 🔴 BrandNewTube - https://brandnewtube.com/@SensusFidelium 🔴 GabTV - https://tv.gab.com/channel/Sensus_Fidelium 🔴 GloriaTV - https://gloria.tv/Sensus%20Fidelium 🔴 Brighteon - https://www.brighteon.com/channels/sensusfidelium ▶️ 4. Paypal, Bitcoin, Anedot, Stripe, Square & PO Box donations - https://sensusfidelium.com/donate-support/ ▶️ 5. YouTube: Click Subscribe, then Click "Notification Bell" = 🔔 Please "Like" our videos so that Youtube shares it to others by clicking the "Like" thumbs-up under the video = 👍🏻 ▶️ 6. Please share this video 📲, and help others find Christ inside the Catholic Church! Please share this video on Facebook and Twitter using the share button. ▶️ 7. Follow on Social Media: 🔴 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SensusFidelium/ 🔴 Twitter: https://https://twitter.com/Sensus_Fidelium 🔴 YouTube: Click Subscribe, then Click "Notification Bell" = 🔔 🔴 Parler: https://parler.com/profile/Sensusfidelium/posts 🔴 SP3RN: https://www.sp3rn.com/community/pages/14-sensus-fidelium 🔴 GAB: https://gab.com/Sensus_Fidelium 🔴 Bastyon: https://bastyon.com/sensusfidelium 🔴 GETTR: https://gettr.com/user/sensus_fidelium 🔴 INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/sensusfidelium/ 🔴 Telegram: https//t.me/RealSensusFidelium ▶️ 8. Follow on iTunes: 🔴 https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sensus-fidelium-catholic-podcast/id1477010758 #PublicanAndPharisee #CatholicHomily #OrthodoxHomily #Lent #Humility #Repentance #SinOfComparison #ChristianSpirituality #LentenTriodion #ChristIsAmongUs