The text is at once a celebration of grace and a confession of sin.
Bible reading is primarily meant to be a celebration of the story of grace in our lives and our world. We celebrate Jesus alive today; Jesus alive and at work in us, and on that platform of grace we acknowledge and confess our sins. This is very much in keeping with the catholic understanding of the human person which has a positive view of human nature. In each of us there is a story of grace and a story of sin. But the story of grace is the deeper story and truer story about each one of us. Even in the worst expression of sin the underlying story is one of grace. Sin has not destroyed our goodness, it has wounded it. At the core we are good – a flawed goodness but nonetheless essentially good. The bible texts will always speak to what is best in human nature while not ignoring the story of sin.
The discipline of the process fosters in us grace-filled attitudes: humility, respect, openness, listening, dialogue, gratitude, contrition and hope. In time these begin to impact on all areas of our lives.
In celebrating and welcoming the stories of grace, we are slowly growing in grace. In confessing the stories of sin, our sins are losing their power over us. In this way, the Sacred Scriptures have the power to form our minds and hearts in the image and likeness of Jesus Christ.