Dust in the wind

Speaking of Mass, today is Ash Wednesday. This day always makes me think of one thing: McAuley High School.

Every year on Ash Wednesday, the student body went to Mass. And every year, during the Communion Meditation, they played "Dust in the Wind" by Kansas. If you don't know what the Communion Meditation is, well, it's supposed to be a really serious time when you contemplate the meaning of the Mass. But to hear "Dust in the Wind" always made me crack up, which pretty much undermined the profundity of the moment.

In and of itself, the song "Dust in the Wind" was fine. But in the context of Mass, it sent me into a fit of giggles (the kind that only happen at the most inappropriate times) because this song was the school's way of saying, "Hey, we're hip, we're cool. See, we incorporate your crazy rock-n-roll music into the Mass. That's so you can relate to it." But Kansas, 1978? Come on!

Then again, going to McAuley was like living in a time warp. They did always play "Come Sail Away" and "You Shook Me All Night Long" at the student dances, like they were the hottest hits of the day. (They would've been had we been attending high school ten years prior to that.)

Anyway, I suppose "Dust in the Wind" has that existential quality that appeals to angst-ridden teenagers. And, it does offer a connection to the "ash" in Ash Wednesday.

But, what should have been a reflective moment was always a silly one, and that has stuck with me long after that joyous day that I left the halls of MCA.