Encountering the Divine Liturgy Part 11: The Third Antiphon

 In the Orthodox lectionary and liturgical usage, the Beatitudes are chanted as a series of verses with interspersed refrains, sometimes supplemented with troparia of the day.

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven…”
(Matthew 5:3, LXX-style usage in the liturgy)

Their use as the Third Antiphon reflects the ancient Christian practice of singing psalms or gospel verses during processional or transitional moments in worship.

Liturgical Placement

The Beatitudes are chanted immediately before the Small Entrance—a significant moment when the Gospel Book is carried in solemn procession, symbolizing Christ’s entrance into the world to preach the Good News. The chanting of the Beatitudes here is both preparatory and participatory. It:

• Prepares the faithful to receive Christ in the Word.

• Reminds the Church of the moral and spiritual conditions required for inheriting the Kingdom.

• Elevates the soul toward humility, purity, mercy, and the hope of suffering for righteousness.

The Beatitudes thus serve as a spiritual ascent, matching the structure of the Divine Liturgy, which moves the worshipper from the world toward the altar—toward communion with God.

Theological Significance

Theologically, the Beatitudes outline the character of the Kingdom of God and the ethos of the new creation in Christ. They do not describe mere human virtues but the fruits of life lived in communion with the Holy Spirit. Each Beatitude reveals a reversal of worldly values and an unveiling of divine truth:

• Poverty of spirit is wealth in the Kingdom.

• Mourning becomes comfort.

• Meekness inherits the earth.

• Persecution brings heavenly reward.

Their chanting before the Gospel Entrance shows that only through this Christ-like disposition can one truly hear, receive, and live the Word of God.

Patristic Commentary

Eastern Church Fathers frequently expounded on the Beatitudes, seeing them not as ethical maxims alone but as steps of the spiritual life—a kind of ladder to divine union.

St. Gregory of Nyssa presents the Beatitudes as a journey of purification and deification:

“The Beatitudes are like a golden chain, where each virtue builds upon the last. Through poverty of spirit, one becomes free; through mourning, one is purified; through meekness, one becomes like Christ.”
(On the Beatitudes, PG 44.1200)

St. John Chrysostom, who composed the very Liturgy in which the Beatitudes are sung, emphasizes that they are not commands but blessings bestowed by Christ upon those who follow Him:

“He does not say, ‘Woe unto you if you are not poor in spirit,’ but ‘Blessed are the poor.’ For He draws by blessing, not by threat, and shows that these things are gifts of grace, not burdens of law.”
(Homily on Matthew 15:4, PG 57.227)

St. Maximos the Confessor interprets the Beatitudes as the road to theosis:

“Each Beatitude corresponds to a stage of purification or illumination. Through them, the soul ascends, shedding the passions, until it sees God.”
(Questions to Thalassius, PG 90.796)

Why the Beatitudes at This Point in the Liturgy?

Placed just before the Gospel procession, the Beatitudes are both prayer and pedagogy. The Church is not merely recalling Christ’s words, but proclaiming them anew in the midst of the gathered assembly, preparing the faithful to:

• Recognize Christ in the Word of the Gospel.

• Receive Him with a heart purified by repentance and humility.

• Commit again to live as citizens of the Kingdom of God.

They are also sung communally, signifying that this “blessed life” is not pursued in isolation but in the shared journey of the Church, the Body of Christ.