The three days of darkness

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I've been doing some reading on this subject and was wondering what others thoughts are on this. And has the Church said anything about it? Thanks in advance for what you can share.

Heavenly Father, please hear our prayers. God grant us peace.

-- jackiea (jackiea@hotmail.com), June 08, 2001

Answers

To the top, please. :)

-- jackiea (jackiea@hotmail.com), June 08, 2001.

Dear Jackiea: In the early seventies I heard the rumor that very soon the world would be in darkness for three days. Fliers with this threat were distributed all over the place. There was no name of the person resposible for its publication, no address, no phone to get information, just a rumor. The papers said that in those three days only blessed candles and matches would light up. A further threat was that if you teared or just disposed of the fliers some kind of punishment would come your way. Remembering St. Paul's words that no harm would be inflicted on those who live in God's grace I told my friends and relatives to ignore such trash. At home my wife and I (the children were too small then to understand it) ignored the warnings and , of course, nothing happened. It is just amazing how people can be led to fear and anguish. Christ and His message are something for our internal and external peace and happiness, and I always wonder how some people still get trapped in things so unchristian and .... (why not call it) stupid.

Enrique

-- Enrique Ortiz (eaortiz@yahoo.com), June 08, 2001.


Hi, Enrique, and Jackie,
It seems that many things were floating around in the early 70's, as I recall. You're right, Enrique. For a while the Garabandal visionaries were at the forefront in the Catholic news (and rumor mills), and they had a ''message'' for the world. Far as I know, they have since been discredited (? ? ?). They pointed to a future horrible chastisement to come, if all of us did not repent our sins. Among all these predictions, I believe one of them had to do with 3 days of terrible trials, burning heat, darkness, etc.,

I know this was a period during which ''The Exorcist'' was a smash movie hit. Right afterward, there were quite a few ''devil'' and anti-Christ movies. Many odd and morbid things were on peoples minds. As far as one can see, very little repentance has been publicized. The real Devil was apparently sowing lots of confusion.

-- eugene c. chavez (chavezec@pacbell.net), June 08, 2001.


Actually, the reason why I began reading about this is because I heard quite a bit about it on a Catholic audiotape I have.

-- jackiea (jackiea@hotmail.com), June 08, 2001.

Jackiea,

I pretty much rank the three days of darkness stuff up there with all of the false "end of times" prophecies that have come and gone over the past few decades.

Remember the "88 reasons why the rapture will happen in 1988" book?

Remember the Prophecy Club and Dimitri Dudamen?

Remember that so many believed that in one of Mary's visions she stated that WWIII would start in July of 1999?

The list is nearly endless. Now that it's 2001, so many have faded away because their time frames have passed, but many more persist I'm afraid.

Here's somewhat of a summary of the three days of darkness for anyone who'd care to read more:

The Three Days of Darkness by Yves Dupont

THE ACT OF GOD The most spectacular aspect of the Act of God will be the three days of darkness over the whole earth. The Three Days have been announced by many mystics, viz., Bl.Anna-Maria Taigi, Padre Pio, Elizabeth Canori-Mora, Rosa-Colomba Asdente, Palma d'Oria, in Italy; Father Nectou, in Belgium; St. Hildegard, in Germany; Pere Lamy, Marie Baourdi, Marie Martel, Marie-Julie Jahenny, in France. (This list is not exhaustive; many more mystics have announced the Three Days.) The Church does not oblige us to believe in any particular prophecy as a matter of faith, but we are indeed obliged to believe that prophecies may be made even in our own times, for this is in the Gospel: the Holy Ghost will speak to many in the Latter Days. Moreover, when an identical prophecy has been made by widely separated people in time and space, when this particular prophecy was accompanied by other predictions which have already come to pass, and when the holiness of the mystics in question has been recognized by the Church, we would be foolish indeed not to believe that the prophecy must come to pass. Such is the case concerning the Three Days of Darkness. How else could we explain that an illiterate peasant woman of Brittany is describing the very thing that another mystic in, say, Germany or Italy is also describing?

THE PROXIMATE SIGNS

Here are the proximate signs in their probable order of occurrence. This, to be sure, is only my own opinion, and I may be wrong for I am no prophet myself; but, after studying a large number of prophecies, this order appears to me to be the most likely:

Flouting of church laws, irreverence and immodesty in church, fall in attendance at church. Lack of charity towards others, heartlessness, indifference, divisions, contentions, godlessness, pride in human knowledge. Breakdown of family life: immorality, adultery, perversion of youth (e.g. homosexuals giving lectures in schools), immodest fashions (e.g. mini-skirts and hot pants, bikinis and see-throughs), people concerned only with eating, drinking, dancing and other pleasures. Civil commotions, contempt for authority, downfall of governments, confusion in high places, corruption, coups d'etat, civil war, revolution. (The first four proximate signs have already come to pass, at least partly; for we are yet to see civil war and revolution in the West. But the sequence of events is not strictly chronological; there is room for some overlapping. Thus, the 5th proximate sign seems to have begun also.) Floods and droughts, crop failures, unusual weather, tornadoes, earthquakes, tidal waves, famines, epidemics, unknown diseases (e.g. new strains of viruses).

THE WARNING AND THE MIRACLE

These will take place between the proximate and the immediate signs. Both will be supernatural occurrences, and the Miracle will closely follow the Warning. There will be a solar prodigy; a Cross will be visible in the sky all over the world. The Warning will be associated with the letter "A"; it will not fall on a Feast day of Our Lady, nor on the l8th of the month. The Miracle will fall on the Feast day of a young martyr of the Eucharist; this will be on a Thursday evening, and it will coincide with an important Church event. Since the Miracle is to be seen only in Northern Spain and in Rome, and since the Cross in the sky is to be seen everywhere, it seems that the latter occurrence will take place with the Warning, not with the Miracle. However, the Miracle may also have a Cross in the sky. During the Warning, everyone will be made aware of his/her own sinfulness, and many will wish to die, but the Warning itself will be completely harmless. Both the Warning and the Miracle must be viewed as the last act of mercy from God, a final appeal to mankind to do penance before the three days of darkness and the destruction of three-quarters of the human race. At a time when the murder of unborn babies and the sin of Sodom and Lesbos have become respectable and sometimes legal, we should not wonder why God is going to punish mankind. By that time, war and revolution will have already caused a high deathtoll, and Communism will be victorious, but all this will be as nothing compared with the deathtoll caused by the Three Days.

THE IMMEDIATE SIGN

It will be a bitterly cold winter night in the Northern hemisphere. (Presumably, a very cold summer night in Australia or, by contrast, a torrid night.) The wind will howl and roar. Lightning and thunderbolts of an unprecedented magnitude will strike the earth. The whole earth will shake, heavenly bodies will be disturbed - (this will be the beginning of the Three Days). Every Demon, every evil spirit will be released from hell and allowed to roam the earth. Terrifying apparitions will take place. Many will die from sheer fright. Fire will rain forth from the sky, all large cities will be destroyed, poisonous gases will fill the air, cries and lamentations everywhere. The unbelievers will burn in the open like withered grass. The entire earth will be afflicted; it will look like a huge graveyard. As soon as you notice that bitterly cold night, go indoors, lock all doors and windows, pull down the blinds, stick adhesive paper on vents and around windows and doors. Do not answer calls from outside, do not look at the windows, or you will die on the spot: keep your eyes down to make sure you do not see the windows; the Wrath of God is mighty and no one should attempt to behold it. Light blessed wax candles; nothing else will burn, but the candles will not be extinguished once lit. Nothing will put them out in the houses of the faithful, but they will not burn in the houses of the godless. Sprinkle holy water about the house and especially in the vicinity of doors and windows: the devils fear holy water. Bless yourself with it and anoint your five senses with it: eyes, ears, nose, mouth, hands, feet, and forehead. Keep on hand a sufficient supply of drinking water and, if possible, food also (but you can live without food for three days.) Kneel down and pray incessantly with outstretched arms, or prostrate on the floor. Make acts of contrition, faith, hope, and charity. Above all say the Rosary and meditate on the Sorrowful mysteries. Some people, especially children, will be taken up to Heaven beforehand to spare them the horror of these days. People caught outdoors will die instantly. Three-quarters of the human race will be exterminated, - more men than women. No one will escape the terror of these days. But, when all seems lost and hopeless, then, in the twinkling of an eye, the ordeal will be over: the sun will rise and shine again as in springtime over a purified earth. Some nations will disappear entirely, and the face of the earth will be changed. There will be no more "Big Business" and huge factories which sap men's souls. Craftsmanship will revive, and assembly lines will give way to the working bench. People will return to the land, but food will be scarce for about three years. Married women will bear many children, for it will be regarded as a disgrace not to have children, - no more "career women" addicted to the "pill". Unmarried females, - there will be many, will enter the religious orders and form large congregations of Nuns within the reborn Church. Disease will decrease dramatically, and mental illnesses will be rare, for man will have retrieved his natural environment. It will be an age of faith, true brotherhood between neighbors, civil harmony, peace, and prosperity. The land will yield crops as never before. Police will have little work to do: crime will disappear almost entirely. Mutual trust and honesty will be universal. There will be little work for lawyers, either. All the manpower which is currently taken up by the wickedness of the modern world will be released and available for the production of useful commodities. Thus, prosperity will be very great. This wonderful period will probably last 30 years approximately. As soon as you see the sun rise again at the end of the Three Days, drop to your knees and give thanks to God. Be warned, SPREAD THE MESSAGE, but do not fear: it would be an offense to God to show lack of confidence in His protection. Those who spread the message will be protected, but the scoffers, the skeptics, and those who dismiss the message because they are frightened, will not escape the chastisement.

WHAT TO DO NOW

SPREAD THE MESSAGE; do not be put out by those who laugh it off or think you are a bit queer. This is the price we have to pay, for no disciple of Christ can escape scorn or even persecution. Remain in the state of grace. Go to Mass, and regularly receive Holy Communion. Say your rosary every day. Obtain some wax candles and have these blessed by a Traditionalist priest. Do not buy ordinary white candles; they are not made of wax. Do not trust either a "new-breed" priest to bless your candles. Pray for the Church and for the Pope in particular; it is not for us to judge the Pope, no matter what he does or says, - this is God's prerogative, but we must pray for him. Say the prayer to St. Michael which Leo XIII composed after witnessing a terrifying vision of Satan's power. Wear the Brown Scapular and the miraculous medal. Deny yourself some legitimate pleasures and entertainment; many seers insist on this. Eat sparingly, frugally, to sustain life more than to gratify the palate. When the proximate signs are over, i.e., war and revolution culminating in the victory of communism, when you behold the Warning, then store up food, drinking water, blankets and other necessities



-- David Bowerman (bowerman@blazenet.net), June 08, 2001.



+JMJ

Hi Jackiea,

I beleieve I know of the tape you are refering to for I have a copy myself. The tape is from a foundation promoting the Blessed Virgin Mary and her many apparitions.

"Throughout the ages, there have been so-called "private" revelations, some of which have been recognized by the authority of the Church" CCC 67

The visions of three days of darkness and a chastisement comes from Garanbandal and is not recognized by the Church. Apparitions are private revelations, they do not belong to the deposit of faith.

"It is not their role to improve or complete Christ's definitive Revelation, but to help live more fully by it in a certain period of history." CCC 67

-- Michael (williams007@aol.com), June 08, 2001.


While reading David's message my hairs began standing up straight, but after I was through I looked at this passage in St. Paul's letter to the Romans:

35: Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36: As it is written, "For thy sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered." 37: No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38: For I am sure that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, 39: nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Rom 8,35 and ff.)

All of a sudden a deep and happy peace came over me.

Enrique

-- Enrique Ortiz (eaortiz@yahoo.com), June 08, 2001.


Yes, Michael, that would be the one. Actually, I have pretty well all of their tapes/CD's. What did you think of them, just out of curiousity?

-- jackiea (jackiea@hotmail.com), June 09, 2001.

+JMJ

Hi Jackiea,

I think I also Have all the tapes from their foundation. One that really stands out is "Confession". That one is awesome. I have shared it with others. This is one we all need to hear.

Most of their other tapes promote Mary and her apparitions around the world. They are interesting but are private revelations which we can choose to believe or not. I look to the Curch for guidance in these situations and the Church will rarely recognize an apparition being worthy of belief.

-- Michael (williams007@aol.com), June 09, 2001.


I know I will probably be criticized by the words I write hear but be open minded and not subject to outside influences. My friends in Christ have faith in the words so many believe are false. The three days of darkness are at hand and those who mock these prophecies, mock the saints and those to whom these things were revealed. So if you choose not to believe, at least have the decency to respect the prophecies so that others may judge for themselves, and not be influenced by your ignorant comments, May God have mercy on all the world.

-- anonymous (illustrator81@yahoo.com), April 22, 2002.


I would appreciate any information on this subject(including a video of the message from the visionaries at Garanbadal). Please mail to P.O. Box 142, San Bernardino, Ca 92403. Thank You

-- Jessie Ochoa (ochoajessie@yahoo.com), February 23, 2005.

Hate to mention it folks, but the devil as an angel isn't going to stop attacking you just because you have one type of candle verses another or one color scapular vs another...but he will cease if you are in a state of grace and friendship with Our Lord!

Lots of these sites are basically Nuclear war fallout survivalist sites dressed up in Catholic clothing.

Go to www.ready.gov and see that the US Government is telling everyone to stock up with at least 72 hours worth of food, water, etc.

3 days worth! Ahhhhhhhhhh we're all going to die! (well, of course we are, what do you expect? Everyone dies eventually - and before that we'll all have to carry crosses too and be inconvenienced and tempted...

No amount of holy water, scapulars, candles, and faith in THINGS is going to help you if your relationship with Our Lord is weak or you habitually live with venial sin (such as pride, presumption, anger, envy, worry and doubt in the love of God).

But would they hurt you if you did live habitually in the state of grace? No.

And neither would it hurt to have an NBC fallout shelter stocked with 6 months supply of food and water, gas masks, and a full garden outback. But it will set you back some grand and will require a change of lifestyle.

I know that fear and anger are great motivators for work - indeed that's what motivates most people to do what they do, apart from love of course...but while Our Lord does warn us of sin, he reminds us that our chief motivation ought to be love because in the end, only Love will keep you faithful when the cross - whatever it is - leads you to follow him through deaths door.

-- Joe (joestong@yahoo.com), February 24, 2005.


Just read a bit more... looks essentially like the seer or visionary looked at a movie (one of dozens) of nuclear armageddon and then translated the message into Catholic terms... with the same type of survivalist "moral of the story" of being prepared, avoiding cities, stocking up on food, water, and other tools and basically being ready to ride out an "end of the world as we know it" attack which will result in billions of dead, and the overthrow of our current civilization....

Question is...why would peace and joy and wonder only last 30 years following such a disaster? That's one generation - that's the time it would take for a whole new generation, post-armageddon, to be born and raised and take the reins of power. Which begs an answer... if the survivors of such a horrible scenerio are the elect and wondeful faith-filled people that they claim to be...why would their CHILDREN be the ones to witness or contribute to the demise of their hard won peace and social tranquility?

-- Joe (joestong@yahoo.com), February 25, 2005.


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