“[God is] He who removes mountains, and they do not know it, when He overturns them in His anger;  Who shakes the earth out of its place, and its pillars tremble; Who commands the sun, and it does not rise; Who seals up the stars …” (Job 9: 5-7)

If the prophecy of the Three Days of Darkness (3DD for short) is a true prophecy I do not know. I am not a Pope or a visionary. Neither Jesus nor Our Blessed Mother have spoken to me face to face. One more time I affirm that I am a simple person having a conversation with friends over the Internet. I am not passing doctrine to the faithful. At best I am trying to encourage belief in the Catholic Faith that is now two thousand years old.

Some say the 3DD prophecy is not de fide. That is absolutely true. Belief in the Most Holy Trinity is de fide but even some widely accepted apparitions are not de fide. One example of an infallibly true apparition would be that of Jesus appearing to the disciples, or Jesus appearing to St. Paul.

According to Catholic Culture de fide is (my bold):

A term meaning “of Faith,” used to identify those doctrines of the Church which are infallibly true. Their infallible certitude derives ultimately from divine revelation, but proximately from the fact that they have either been solemnly defined by the Church’s magisterium or have been taught by her ordinary universal teaching authority as binding on the consciences of all the faithful.

For example, one does not have to believe in the apparitions of Fatima to be saved and go to Heaven but it helps a lot if one does. If we get picky we may end up without Scapular, Rosary or Blessed Salt just to name three sacramentals and widely practiced Catholic devotions.

The 3DD prophecy is not an article of faith.  Having said that, it does not follow that 3DD is a false prophecy. I have my reasons to believe that God may afflict mankind with a chastisement of that sort. Such divine act may include worldwide supernatural darkness.

In the beginning

The theme of darkness and light is all over Holy Scripture from the beginning. “Let there be light” is right there at the beginning of the creation story:

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. And God saw the light, and it was good; and God divided the light from darkness.

St. John teaches that “God is light” (1John 1:5) and then continues:

“if we claim to have fellowship with Him and yet walk in darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth […] God is light; in him there is no darkness at all.”

The blind beggar, a revealing story

The theme of light and darkness, sight and blindness appears often in the Gospel. For the purposes of this article we will visit first the miracle of the blind beggar (John 9:17) The man is cured of his blindness but the miracle happens in a very interesting context. It happens during the Festival of Booths. (John 7:1 through 10:21) There Jesus finds the blind beggar after confronting a hostile crowd and fleeing from the Temple. Please, think of this detail without just glossing over it.

The disciples asked Jesus about the man: is he a sinner? Is he paying for the sins of his ancestors? (Exodus 20:5) None of those options are validated by Jesus. The Teacher explains that the man is there for a reason: to provide evidence of God’s mercy and power to heal. Then Jesus makes mud with a little bit of clay and spit. This is reminiscent of the creation of Adam.  Then Jesus places the mix on the man’s eyes while sending the man to the pool of The Sent One (Siloam). The man went to wash there and his eyes were opened.

Back to the detail of Jesus fleeing  the Temple. The very religion established by God in Israel so that the people could recognize Jesus is now reduced to a lengthy series of practices and prohibitions. But Israel is blind to the point of being unable to recognize the visitation of God Himself. They are living in a kind of darkness that is not exterior to them. That is not the darkness sent by God over Egypt in the times of Moses. This is interior darkness as Israel has become like pagan Egypt. The blind beggar appears there so that God can teach us about that condition. The beggar is not only part of a nation of spiritually blind people but he is physically blind as well. He can’t see Jesus but he trusts the mysterious Teacher and does what he is told to do.

The water of Siloam is similar to the waters of the Red Sea that Israel crossed thus experiencing the power and mercy of God. Many years later they celebrated the first Festival of Booths after crossing the River Jordan into the Promised Land. For those who follow Jesus there will be another healing “water” that must be crossed, the cleansing waters of Baptism and the opening of all senses to the work of the Holy Spirit.

Under cover of darkness

Now there was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a leader of the Jews. He came to Jesus by night and said to him, ‘Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God; for no one can do these signs that you do apart from the presence of God.’ (John 3:1-2)

Here comes Nicodemus, a religious teacher himself. He comes during the night to see Jesus. He recognizes God’s power in Jesus’ actions but he is still fearful of the hostile crowds. Jesus has an important revelation for Nicodemus:

For all who do evil hate the light and do not come to the light, so that their deeds may not be exposed. But those who do what is true come to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that their deeds have been done in God.’ (John 3: 20-21)

Did you get that, Nicodemus? Recognizing the light of truth is not enough. You have to walk according to the light. The light is Jesus, he is the light of the world. (John 8:12)

Before this gets to be too long …

We can glean some basic clues that may help some to understand the possibility of the 3DD.

  • From the very beginning God has separated Light from Darkness
  • In Scripture Light is good, represents goodness. God Himself is Light!
  • God sent darkness over Egypt as a chastisement. This can be interpreted as a prefiguration of the 3DD
  • During the three days of darkness in Egypt there was light in the homes of the Hebrews
  • Saul of Tarsus was left blind after encountering Jesus. Three days later, a Christian man cures Saul’s blindness.
  • St. John describes in his Apocalypse how the Sun will turn dark like “sackcloth” (Revelation 6:12)
  • Etc. etc.

A number of saints and visionaries mention the 3DD, a long list that includes Ana Maria Taigi, Padre Pio, Sr. Elena Aiello (Founder of The Sister Minims), Marie-Julie Jahenny and many other saints from the early ages. I hope I can soon make a more complete list of them and publish it at the end of this post. Here is a quote from an article titled The Prophetic Saint Who Foretold What the End of the World Will Be Like, about St. Vincent Ferrer. Read it carefully.

Three of the “greatest and most terrible” afflictions will be “Antichrist, a man but a diabolical one; second, the destruction by fire of the terrestrial world; third, the universal judgment. And with these tribulations the world will come to an end.” Providence will give us warning signs in the heavens — sun, moon and stars.

The first is “Antichrist, a diabolical man, who will bring distress on the whole world.” He will deceive Christians in four ways.

First, in the sign of the sun (Luke 21:25). Vincent Ferrer explains, “In Holy Scripture Christ is called the Sun… Taking the word etymologically, we have: S-O-L (Super Omnia Lucens) – ‘Shining above all things’… God the Father sent Him into the world, saying: ‘But unto you who fear my name the Sun of justice shall arise’ (Malachi 4:2).” So what’s the sign given by the sun for arrival of the enemy?

St. Vincent reveals St. Matthew gives it precisely: “The sun will not give its light.” How’s that? Vincent explains the sun will and cannot be darkened in itself, but only when clouds obscure it:

In the same way, in the time of Antichrist, the Sun of justice will be obscured by the interposition of temporal goods and the wealth which Antichrist will bestow on the world, inasmuch as the brightness of faith in Jesus Christ and the glow of good lives will no longer shine among Christians.

[…] St. Vincent continues, “There will indeed be signs in the Sun of justice, for then it will be obscured in the hearts of Christians, since from those hearts it will not give forth the light of Faith; all preaching of a better life will cease, owing to the interposition of… clouds of temporal goods.” (Quoted from The National Catholic Register; Joseph Pronechen,  The Prophetic Saint Who Foretold What the End of the World Will Be Like, about St. Vincent Ferrer)

Again, if you chose to believe or not believe in the 3DD none of that will put a penny in my pocket. Following the example of Pascal’s wager: if 3DD turns out to be a true prophecy those who are prepared will benefit from heeding the warnings. If it never happens nothing will be lost. The candles can be used, the sealed windows will keep the house warm in wintertime, etc. Those who easily fall into believing in amulets will continue to do so. Blessed candles, holy water, blessed salt, blessed medals and such are not to be used for superstitious purposes. Grace and superstition cannot inhabit the same home.

I for one prefer to be in the company of St. Padre Pio, Ana Maria Taigi, Sr. Aiello or Marie-Julie Jahenny in everything they piously believed. I may be wrong but I will be in good company.

ADDENDUM  of April 30, 2024: since I posted this article I found two more visionaries who have prophesied about the 3DD. I will be adding more as I find them.

  • “The same reports Alois Irlmaier was befriended by a family in Berchtesgaden and that Irlmaier talked about the large snow cap on the Watzmann mountain near Berchtesgaden, which normally lasts year round. Irlmaier is said to have predicted when this snow cap can no longer be seen, then the great darkness will follow. “…During the war the big darkness comes, which lasts 72 hours.”
  • “While St. Hildegard of Bingen did have visions about the end times, there are other prophecies attributed to her saying she foretold that the world will not know peace until the throne of France is regained by the ‘white flower’, the Fleur de Lys. Those attributed prophecies also foretell that the Monarch will come after some horrific catastrophic events —a great comet will strike the earth and cause apocalyptic devastation— possibly, this could be a prophecy of how the Three Days of Darkness will come about.”
  • “Make sure your windows and doors close well, because you can’t let your best friend in otherwise the poisonous smoke and breath will come in. There will be heaps of dead people lying on the streets. The farmhouses are empty and the cattle are screaming because no one is giving them water. On an icy cold night thunder will sound, then close the door and windows, it will remain dark for 3 days as in the deepest night, the powers of heaven will be shaken. Have a consecrated light on hand. The old and the terminally ill will regain their health if they correspond to God, the others will die.” NOTE: Attributed to Alois Irlmaier ca. 1944. I was not able to verify the source yet.

“For behold the day shall come kindled as a furnace: and all the proud, and all that do wickedly shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall set them on fire, saith the Lord of hosts, it shall not leave them root, nor branch. But unto you that fear my name, the Sun of justice shall arise, and health in his wings: and you shall go forth, and shall leap like calves of the herd. And you shall tread down the wicked when they shall be ashes under the sole of your feet in the day that I do this, saith the Lord of hosts. Remember the law of Moses my servant, which I commanded him in Horeb for all Israel, the precepts, and judgments. (Malachi 4:1-3)

 

I am the light of the world! (John 8:12)