This icon titled “Mother of the Light” (Emme d-Nuhro or Emme d’nuhro) presents Mother Mary as a serene, luminous figure. From within her radiates the eternal flame of Christ, depicted here as a “diya” or “deepak”, the traditional oil lamp of Indian culture.

The flame within her is not merely a source of illumination but becomes the source of her own radiance. It reflects the profound theological truth that the holiness of the saints (symbolized by the halo) is not separate from Christ but born of Him. Mother Mary’s light is Christ’s light, dwelling within her, transforming and glorifying her.

According to St. Ephrem, the more light that enters the eye, the more the eye is enabled to see (Which is basis of optics). He applies this to the inner eye, for which faith takes the place of light: the greater the faith, the more the interior eye perceives the spiritual world. In the case of Mary, it is Christ Himself—the Light—who enters her:St Ephrem writes,

As though on an eye,the Light settled in Mary,it polished her mind,made bright her thought,and pure her understanding,causing her virginity to shine. (Hymns on the Church)

This theological vision resonates with the imagery of this Icon. The deepak’s glow is not external but proceeds from the divine Light who dwelt within her. As St. Jacob of Serugh beautifully proclaims:

“O Mary, you are the house of beauties and the storehouse of treasures, the Mother of the Sun, who generates unlimited light.”

In this image, the light of the deepak rises and extends outward, forming a radiant glow that encircles her—a visual testament to the intimate mystery of the Incarnation, where the uncreated Light takes flesh within her, making her truly the Mother of Light.

Fr. Rijo Geevarghese, Diocese of Ahmedabad Sopana Orthodox Academy