Stone & Incense Search
Start hereCurious, or no faithEvangelical, Pentecostal or ProtestantFrom another faithSomeone I love is CatholicBecoming CatholicI was Catholic once Today in the ChurchLibraryHard questionsVoices of the revivalTake the next stepAboutSources & methodSupport the site

Questions / Jesus

Why does the cross matter so much?

Church teaching

Answered on video by Bishop Robert Barron

Video: Why Did Jesus Have to Die the Way He Did?, Bishop Robert Barron, published Jan 8, 2014. Checked 10 October 2026. Loads from YouTube (privacy-enhanced mode) only when you press play. Watch on YouTube

In short: Because that’s where God’s whole rescue plan came together, once for all, in the death of His Son. CCC 571

The answer, in writing

Church teaching

The cross and Resurrection stand at the center of the Good News the apostles were sent to proclaim. CCC 571

God’s saving plan was accomplished “once for all” by the redemptive death of His Son Jesus Christ. CCC 571

Jesus Himself taught that the Messiah had to suffer these things and enter into His glory. CCC 572

Our words

The cross is where God’s love stops being an idea. It’s what it looks like when God refuses to give up on you.

Next step: The cross and the empty tomb

Honestly? The best answers come from people, not websites. Take the next step: find a parish near you

Related questions

How do we know he rose from the dead? Bishop Robert Barron · 1 minCan’t I just follow Jesus on my own? Fr. Mike Schmitz · 9 minIs the Eucharist really Jesus? Catholic Answers · 3 minWho wrote the Gospels? Catholic Answers · 7 min

Sources on this page

How we know · 2 Catechism paragraphs
  1. Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraphs 571, 572 (official text on vatican.va).

Stone & Incense restates Church teaching in plain words and cites every teaching claim. Our own wording is not an official Church text. Found a mistake? Report an errorCorrections.