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There's an ancient legend that dates all the way back to medieval times. It's about a young woman who died and went to heaven. Her life on earth had been bad . . . very bad!

When she arrived at the gates of Heaven, she was told that she could be admitted only under one condition. She must return to earth and bring back the gift that God values above all other gifts. The young woman returned to earth. There she thought and thought about what gift God values above all other gifts.

Then one day she came upon a young man who had just died for his faith in God. "Ah!" she thought, "this is indeed the gift that God values most: the blood of someone who has died for his or her faith." So she took a drop of the young man's blood and brought it back to Heaven. But when she presented it, she was told that there was something that God values even more than this.

So she returned to earth again and thought and thought about what gift God values even more than the blood of someone who has died for his or her faith.

Then she came upon an old missionary preaching God's word among the poor. "Ah!" she thought, "this is indeed the gift God values the most: the sweat of the brow of someone who has spent his or her life bringing the good news of salvation to the poor." But when she presented it in Heaven, she was told that there was something that God values even more highly than this.

So she returned to earth once more and thought and thought about what gift God values even more highly than the sweat of someone who has spent his or her life teaching people about Jesus. Again, again, and again, she went back to Heaven with precious gifts. But each time she was told that there was still another gift that God values more highly.

Finally, one day, when she was about to give up, she came upon a child playing at a fountain. The child's face was beautiful and innocent. At that moment, a man on horseback rode up. He dismounted to get a drink at the fountain. When the man saw the child, he remembered his own childhood innocence.

Then he looked into the fountain and saw the reflection of his own face. It was ugly and hardened. As he stared at his image in the water, he suddenly realized how wrongly he had wasted the life that God had given him. And at that moment tears of repentance welled up in his eyes and rolled down his cheeks and fell into the fountain.

The young woman took one of the man's tears and brought it back to Heaven. When she presented it, there was great joy among the angels and saints. This was, indeed, the gift God valued above all others: the tears of a repentant sinner.

That story fits in very well with today's Gospel. For the prayer that was valued most by God in the gospel story was the prayer of the repentant sinner, the tax collector. Elsewhere in the Gospel of Luke (15:7) Jesus says: "There will be more joy in Heaven over one sinner who repents than over 99 righteous people who have no need of repentance."

Repentance has been described as being sorry enough to want to quit whatever we have been doing wrong. But repentance is more than this. It's not only being sorry enough to want to quit whatever we have been doing wrong, but also being sorry enough to wish we could correct all the wrong that we have already done.

The tax collector asked God for the grace he needed in his simple prayer, "O God, be merciful to me, a sinner." The repentant sinner's prayer was one of petition, a plea for help, the type of prayer we often offer to God. Authentic petitions express the kind of humility of which Jesus approved. We ask God for favors and for forgiveness because we know He is the right person to turn to, that He has the power to help us and forgive our sins.

In his love, Jesus gave us the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Unfortunately not enough of us make regular use of this gift God freely offers us. It requires great humility for us to confess our sins and repent. One half of humility is to acknowledge God's power, which is greater than any power in the universe. The second half of humility is to admit that we need God, that we cannot go it alone, that we depend on God's love, mercy, and forgiveness as well as on his power. Humility expresses God's power and our need!

We need to avail ourselves to the graces of the Sacrament of Reconciliation on a regular basis. We should not be waiting on Christmas or Easter to roll around before going! Remember that the gift that God values most is the tears of a repentant sinner!