Devine within.

ONE OF THE MOST ANCIENT ICONS is the Mother of God of the Sign. Mary is in a posture of prayer facing the person before the icon. Revealed within her is her unborn son: the incarnate second person of the Holy Trinity, reigning over the cosmos even in his mother's womb. The icon takes its name from a prophecy of Isaiah: "Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign. Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel--God with us." Christ's robe is highlighted in gold, symbol of the imperishable. With his extended hands he offers the person at prayer a blessing. It's an icon full of circles, the symbol of wholeness and perfection.

The icon reminds us of the words of St. Paul: "It is no longer I who live but Christ who lives in me" (Gal. 2:20). It is as her son's faithful disciple that Mary serves as the primary model of a Christ-centered life. Like Mary, we uncover the secret of who we are in discovering Christ at the center of our lives.

By JIM FOREST, secretary of the Orthodox Peace Fellowship and author of Praying with Icons (Orbis). Image: The Virgin of the Great Panagia, called the Virgin Orant of Yaroslavl. Anonymous, 12th century, Russian school. Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow, Russia. Scala/Art Resource, N.Y.