On Ash Wednesday, Father O’Malley stood at the front of the church, pressing ashes onto foreheads and saying, “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”

Such was the crowd; he’d been doing it for more than thirty minutes. His voice was tiring, his thumb was black as a chimney stack.

A well-dressed man stepped forward and asked, “Father… what does the mention of dust really mean?”

Father O’Malley smiled. “It reminds us to be humble. No matter who we are, we all come from dust, and we will return to dust.”

The man nodded. “So, even important people?”

“Especially important people,” said the priest.

The end of the line was close. Father O’Malley looked up and gulped. His archbishop was next in line.

Flustered, he leaned forward, marked the archbishop’s forehead, and blurted,
“Remember that you … are dust… and… ahhh … nice to see you, Your Grace!”

Father O’Malley went slightly red in the cheeks while the archbishop raised an eyebrow … then smiled.

“Don’t worry, Father. Don’t overthink it. Dust is dust. At the end of the day we’re all in the same boat!”