"THE family, the obra maestra of God, is the reflection of love, oneness, and life."

This was what Archbishop Gilbert Garcera, Chairman of the Episcopal Commission of Family and Life, and the Archbishop of Lipa, emphasized in his homily at the Mass celebrated to formally open Obra Maestra, the conference on Marriage and the Family held at the SMX Convention Center last June 18, 2017.

According to Archbishop Garcera, it is the family that carries the life that comes from God. "If you are in love, if there is unity, and there is life, you always laugh out loud," he stressed.

Taking off from “laugh out loud,” whose acronym as popularized in social media is LOL, Archbishop Garcera emphasized the importance of LOL in our Christian lives: Love, Oneness, and Life.

"If there is no Love, no unity or Oneness, (if there is) fighting in the family, if there is no Life from God, you're always a Good Friday family. Don't be a Good Friday family," the prelate added, explaining that a Good Friday family exhibits sadness, hatred, and a scattering in the family. The archbishop reminded the participants that the springing of vocation in the family is also a sharing in the LOL of God.

He also emphasized that CFC, as the body of Christ, must share in that LOL. This was especially significant because it was Father's day as well as the celebration of the Solemnity of Corpus Christi. He stressed that CFC, as witnesses to Christ, must have LOL as its brand.

“A family must share in the love, in the oneness, in the life of God. If there's no LOL, God is absent from our hearts,” Archbishop Garcera exhorted. (Karrynne Cantillo-Oliveria)