In the heart of the Catholic faith, the Mass is not a simple gathering nor a symbolic commemoration. It is the sacramental renewal of Christ’s sacrifice, the most sacred act that exists on earth. With this principle, the priests of Claves, the training portal of the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter (FSSP), present a new series of twenty-five videos titled “The Mass, treasure of the faith”, which seeks to rediscover the doctrinal, liturgical, and spiritual riches of the traditional Roman rite.
Instead of offering long theological explanations, the priests propose following a celebration step by step, allowing the liturgy itself to speak, letting the gestures, silences, and sacred objects explain what they are: a worship offered to God, a real sacrifice in which the Lord becomes present and gives Himself to sanctify us.
The house of God and the gate of Heaven
“This is the house of God, this is the gate of Heaven,” exclaimed the patriarch Jacob upon awakening from his dream. With these words begins the first installment of the series, recalling that the Church is not a hall nor a community center, but God’s dwelling on earth, the place where Heaven opens to communicate with man.
From the humble homes of the first Christians, transformed into places of worship, to the majestic basilicas, all churches maintain the same purpose: to be the place of the Sacrifice. Their cross-shaped plan reminds us of this: every church is oriented toward the altar, where Calvary is renewed.
Upon entering, the faithful encounters the holy water, mixed with exorcised salt, an ancient sign of purification and defense against evil. By making the sign of the cross with faith, one obtains forgiveness for venial sins and disposes the soul for the encounter with God. Nothing in the liturgy is casual: every sign, every gesture, every object has a supernatural meaning.
The altar, heart of the temple
The journey continues toward the sanctuary, the most sacred space of the temple, separated from the nave by the communion rail. This visible boundary does not divide: it marks the point where Heaven touches earth, where God gives Himself to man in the Eucharist. At its center is the altar, which is not just any table, but a symbol of Christ Himself, the living stone upon which the sacrifice is offered.
The altar is consecrated with holy chrism and marked with five crosses, in memory of the Lord’s wounds. It also contains relics of martyrs, sealed in a small tomb, as a sign of communion with those who shed their blood for Christ. The three white cloths that cover it evoke the linens of the tomb and protect the consecrated altar. Everything in it speaks of the Paschal mystery: the cross, death, and resurrection.
Upon raising one’s gaze, the faithful finds the crucifix and the six lit candles, which symbolize the light of Christ and divine perfection. In ancient liturgies, a seventh candle was added when the celebrant was the bishop, a sign of the fullness of the priesthood.
The tabernacle: God present among men
At the center of the altar rises the tabernacle, a word that means “tent,” in remembrance of God’s dwelling among His people in the Old Testament. There is kept the Most Holy Sacrament, the real presence of Our Lord Jesus Christ under the Eucharistic species. For this reason, the tabernacle is covered with a conopium, a veil that at the same time conceals and honors the mystery. The sanctuary lamp, usually red, burns unceasingly to indicate that God is truly there.
Before that presence, the faithful kneels: he bends his right knee to the ground as a sign of adoration. It is not a formal gesture, but an act of faith. Thus, one acknowledges that Christ is Lord and that everything that happens in that enclosure is sacred.
The language of the sacred signs
The first episode also explains the objects that accompany the celebration: the altar cards, the Latin missal, the rubrics that indicate the gestures and prayers, the credence table where the cruets, the lavabo, and the paten rest. Nothing is improvised: the liturgy is order, beauty, and obedience, because it is the prayer of the Church, not of the individual.
The priests of Claves insist: the liturgy does not need emotional additions or constant adaptations. Its symbolic language is universal and timeless. The architecture, the colors, the incense, the silence, and the chant form a unity that leads the soul to adoration. “The liturgy itself teaches us what it is—they say—a sacrifice offered to God in which He gives Himself to us to sanctify us”.
Rediscovering the treasure of the Mass
In a time when many Catholics are unaware of the deep meaning of the rites celebrated before their eyes, this series seeks to return to the faithful the wonder and gratitude for the gift of the traditional Mass. Every detail has a spiritual purpose; every gesture expresses a truth of faith. The liturgy is not a pedagogical instrument: it is Christ’s own action, mediator between God and men.
The altar, the tabernacle, the cross, the incense, the candles, the holy water, and the relics are not relics of the past. They are living signs of a faith that knows how to kneel, that understands that the center of all worship is not man, but God made flesh.