Who Am I?

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  The Exhortation to the Apostles - James Tissot


He says,

"Who am I?"


And do we respond,

"You are the one I betray,

The one I deny.

You are the one who watches my lust for the world,

gently trying to turn me back.

You are the one who speaks on ancient pages

I refuse to read

or even open the book

to the first page.

You are the one who listens as I say,

'Tomorrow I will follow, but today my time is filled'."


You are the one who bore a whip and hundreds of stripes.

You are the one who was crowned with a helmet of thorns.

You are the one who fell beneath the weight of my sins

and the transgressions of the world.

You are the one who was nailed to a Roman cross

and cried out a psalm,

telling us one more time who you are.

You are the one who was pierced and poued out mercy on the world.

You are the one who rose from the tomb and offered us peace.



He says,

"Who am I?"


You are my Lord and my God,

the one who stretched out his arms for me.

You are the one who said, "Little child arise,"

and fed the multitude with five loaves and two fishes.

You are the good shepherd who seeks the lost.

You are the light of my life even when I choose darkness.

You are the whisper,

the small sound in my ear,

when I step out of my cave.

You are the small stone that toppled empires.

You are the word spoken over the waters.

You are the one sitting at the right hand of the one ancient of days.


And today,

with the world beating down my door,

I take time to bow my head

and ask for your mercy.



copyright 2026 - Donald P James Jr

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