The Easter Vigil

Listening to my last two Jesus Christ Superstars today (two because I had a duplicate, and I wanted to make sure I did indeed listen to 40 different versions, as advertised). The first: Karaoke JCS--all the backing tracks. I love this because I love singing along! The second is the 20th anniversary London revival from 1992 starring Paul Nicholas. I haven't any comment on that one yet because I've just put it on now.
Tonight is the Easter Vigil. I doubt I'll be online after that, and besides, even if I was, by the time I get home it will be Easter Sunday. So I had best write now.
The great JCS Lent is drawing to a close. Tonight at Mass we will light a fire and light the Easter Candle from it to show the light of the risen Christ breaking into the world after crucifixion and entombment. This is the part of the story not told in Jesus Christ Superstar--which isn't a strike against it. We don't tell that part of the story when we proclaim the Passion of Christ on Palm Sunday and Good Friday. We leave Jesus in the tomb.
Today I had the unprecedented experience of being offered condolences on Jesus' death. I was in conversation with a boy who didn't quite know what was being commemorated these few days; when I told him someone had died, he said, "I am sorry for your loss."
These last forty days have been about that loss. I've listened to it sung, and screamed, in English, French, Spanish, Japanese, Hungarian, Czech, Swedish and Russian. I've heard three decades' worth of re-envisioning the source material, which was itself a re-envisioning of source material nearly 2000 years old. But I was caught off guard by his expression of sympathy.
I'll leave you with that. My sympathies are with you on the death of Jesus. What a devastating loss.
And then tomorrow--a new song.