For the love of Mercy.

• Author: Clinton, Kate
• Position: UNPLUGGED - Essay

Pope Francis has declared we are in the midst of an Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy. The Vatican has been less than transparent regarding the Pontiff's projected success metrics, but Papal watchers have hinted that the Vatican either must dial back expectations or perhaps give itself an extension.

The top floor is likely going to find it hard to justify year-end performance bonuses.

It does not help that the Pope's Year of Jubilee, which runs through November, coincides with the Chinese Year of the Monkey.

There has been a sudden eruption of ancestral monkey-brain energy and skittish hopping from one perch to the next just as the church should be laser-focused on nailing its promise of mercy.

Making the Pope's challenge even more daunting was the High Holy Day of the fiftieth Super Bowl, in February. The NFL's graphic designers brazenly used the Arabic 50 instead of the Roman Numeral L in its logo.

No word yet on the Arab states' reaction, but many football-loving lesbians took the L-diss even more personally than they did Sue Grafton's 1995 alphabet mystery series slight: L Is for Lawless.

Adding insult to head injury, Beyonce's codependent Super Bowl halftime rescue set with Coldplay caused a morning-after ruckus when revelers realized she was referring to the Black Panthers, not the Carolina Panthers.

Another unfortunate diversion.

As a friend of mine always says, "You make your plans and God laughs."

Who could have predicted that McDonald's would presage the Year of Mercy by reintroducing its beloved All Day Breakfast? The move is a desperate salvo in its vicious Fast Food Wars with Chic-Fil-A, Chipotle, et al.

McD's ad campaign used a fried mozzarella prod to suggest an altruistic feed-the-hungry beatitudinis vibe. It reminded me of that creepy 1984 Reagan campaign ad, "It's morning again in America."

My friend would always add, "So everyone have yourselves a big breakfast."

There were other factors in the disappointing start to the Year of Mercy: the destruction of Syria by its own President; the refugee...