On the Divine Liturgy

Why are the beatitudes read or sung at the Small Entrance at the beginning of Liturgy? Because the Liturgy is the recollection of the earthly life of Jesus Christ from His swaddling clothes to the grave, from His Resurrection to His Ascension into heaven. The alter signifies the kingdom of heaven, or paradise; the royal doors - the gates of paradise; the opening and closing of these doors during the service - the opening and closing of the kingdom of heaven. The beginning of the liturgy represents the beginning of our Lord's Jesus Christ's redemptive service to humankind, and the Small Entrance with the Gospel represents both His going forth to preach the Gospel and His first sermon on the Mount, in which He beatifies those who fulfill His commandments and promises various rewards in heaven for those who struggle in this world for His sake. When we look at the opened Royal Doors as if they were the gates of the kingdom of heaven, and when we gaze with the eyes of our heart at the Lord, Who comes mystically in the Small Entrance to us, who are earthly wanderers and outcasts from heaven, it becomes natural for us to implore the Lord like the wise thief, Remember us, O Lord, when Thou comest into Thy kingdom.




St. John of Kronstadt
"Ten Homilies on the Beatitudes" (2nd Homily)