Sunday, 24 January 2016

The Year of Mercy - your questions answered

Well, the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy is going swimmingly, but some people have sent us questions about it, so Uncle Eccles will see what he can do.

Year of Mercy logo

The logo by Marko Rupnik S.J., aged 7.

Today I accidentally went OUT through the Door of Mercy, rather than IN. Since then I have been feeling particularly merciless. Should I be worried?

It is permitted to leave church by the Door of Mercy, but to avoid any ill-effects you should reverse out, trying not to collide with anyone who may be coming in. Still, do take the opportunity to go IN again through the door, as soon as possible.

How many times do I have to go in through the Door of Mercy to get a badge?

You can be shown mercy even unto seventy-times-seven times. Make sure that your card is stamped by someone in authority.

I enjoyed Pope Benedict's Year of Faith, and now I am enjoying the Year of Mercy. What shall we see next?

It is unlikely that this pope will designate any more special years, even if he continues in office for a long time. However (according to the Jesuits) there should be many other cardinal virtues, so that we may see a Year of Hospitality, a Year of Humility, or a Year of Vigilance.

Dolan eating

Pope-to-be Dolan enjoys the Year of Hospitality.

I want to use the logo as the basis of a cartoon strip Mercy Man about a skiing instructor with two heads. Would that be OK?

No, the logo is protected by copyright, and can only be used in spiritually nourishing contexts, such as this blog.

I have heard the Year of Mercy chant by Paul Inwood with amazement. Will he be writing any more music?

I'm afraid so. We did try to stop him, by sending in a rogue piano tuner to retune all his keys to the wrong notes. However, he never even noticed. What can one do?

Inwood playing the piano

"I'm playing all the right notes - but not necessarily in the right order."

at

8 comments:

  1. LeonG24 January 2016 at 20:45

    The Year of Mersey received a positive fillip yesterday when Liverpool beat Norwich in the last minute of extra time 5-4.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Victorshannock25 January 2016 at 17:09

      Not so for Canary supporters - weeping copiously - how was the Year of Mercy achieving "a positive fillip" for them?

      Delete
    2. LeonG25 January 2016 at 19:45

      I'm talking about the Year of Mersey - eye tests called for!

      Delete
  2. JARay25 January 2016 at 02:38

    Like Marko Rupnik SJ I too have gone in and out and in and out of the door of Mercy. My parish church is one of those scheduled Mercy Parishes. It really does bother me that I will be keeping this up several times a week until the end of the Year.
    Am I saved?

    ReplyDelete
  3. Sara Harvey-Craig25 January 2016 at 10:31

    "Today I accidentally went OUT through the Door of Mercy, rather than IN. Since then I have been feeling particularly merciless." Dear Lord! I almost split my sides laughing! God bless!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Our Lady of Good Success-pray for us.25 January 2016 at 15:17

    If you have no knowledge (because they had no knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will reject thee, that thou shalt not do the office of priesthood to me: and thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I also will forget thy children) then the year of Catholic hating mercinaries is hot stuff.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Mary K26 January 2016 at 03:03

    Well, Viterbo, you scared me just a little bit. I'm hoping the Lord doesn't forget me, my children, their children, etc, etc. By the way, how do we know which side we're on? Catholic hating mercenaries, or those with no knowledge? And one more question: is this really the course I signed up for? Where's Mr. S when you need him?!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Mick26 January 2016 at 21:12

    When the year of Murphys is over, are we going to have a year of Guinness ?

    ReplyDelete