Sarah Mitchell
The Three Days of Darkness is a prophecy believed by some Catholics to be a true prophecy of future events. It foretells three days and nights of intense darkness over the whole earth, derived from private revelations. The prophecy has been attributed to several saints and mystics, including St. Hildegard of Bingen, St. Patrick, and St. Teresa of Avila, but its origins remain unclear. The specifics of the prophecy, such as the use of miraculous beeswax candles, are not found in the Bible or other canonical sources, and the Catholic Church has no official stance on it. Nonetheless, the prophecy has captivated many Catholics and is considered a powerful message emphasizing spiritual preparation and repentance.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Nature of the Event | Three days and nights of intense darkness over the whole earth |
| Light Source | Blessed beeswax candles |
| Fate of Enemies of the Church | Perish |
| Parallel in Scriptures | One of the Ten Plagues against Egypt in the Book of Exodus |
| Mention in the Apocalypse of John | A plague of unnatural darkness as an effect of the fifth vial |
| Mention in the Apocalypse of John | Unnatural darkness associated with the sixth seal |
| Timing | Thursday, Friday, and Saturday |
| People Outside Their Homes | Will be killed on the spot |
| People Opening Windows | Will fall dead on the spot |
| People's Action During the Event | Stay at home, pray the rosary, and beg God for mercy |
| Origin of Prophecy | Attributed to saints and mystics like St. Hildegard of Bingen, St. Patrick, and St. Teresa of Avila |
| Church's Stance | No official stance; not a matter of Church teaching |
| Prophecy's Nature | Interpreted literally or figuratively; possibly symbolic |
| Prophecy's Status | Possibly averted due to repentance and penance or yet to come |
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What You'll Learn
The prophecy foretells three days of intense darkness over the Earth
The "Three Days of Darkness" is a prophecy that has captivated many Catholics throughout history. It is an eschatological concept, believed by some Catholics to be a true prophecy of future events. The prophecy foretells three days and nights of intense darkness over the whole earth, during which all the enemies of the Church will perish.
The specifics of the prophecy, such as the miraculous beeswax candles, are derived from private revelations. Blessed Anna Maria Taigi (1769–1837) is the best-known seer associated with the prophecy. She reportedly described the event as follows:
> There shall come over the whole earth an intense darkness lasting three days and three nights. Nothing can be seen, and the air will be laden with pestilence which will claim mainly, but not only, the enemies of religion. It will be impossible to use any man-made lighting during this darkness, except blessed candles. He, who out of curiosity, opens his window to look out, or leaves his home, will fall dead on the spot.
During these three days, people should remain in their homes, pray the Rosary, and beg God for mercy. The prophecy parallels one of the Ten Plagues against Egypt in the Book of Exodus, where God caused three days of darkness in Egypt. However, this is a reference to a historical event and not a prediction of the future.
The "Three Days of Darkness" prophecy has no official endorsement from the Catholic Church, and it is not a matter of Church teaching. The origins of the prophecy are unclear, and it has been attributed to several saints and mystics throughout history, including St. Hildegard of Bingen, St. Patrick, and St. Teresa of Avila. While some Catholics embrace the prophecy as a powerful and urgent message from God, emphasizing the importance of spiritual preparation and repentance, others view it as a fringe eschatological view.
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Demons will roam the Earth during this period
The "Three Days of Darkness" is a prophecy believed by some Catholics to be a true prophecy of future events. The prophecy foretells three days and nights of intense darkness over the Earth, during which all enemies of the Church will perish. While the specifics of the prophecy are not found in the Bible, it is believed to parallel the ninth plague of the Exodus, where God caused three days of darkness in Egypt.
According to the prophecy, the air during these three days will be "laden with pestilence" and infected by demons who will appear in hideous forms. Marie-Julie Jahenny, known as the "Breton Stigmatist," described how all of Hell would be let loose to strike at those outside their homes or without a lit blessed candle of pure wax. These candles would miraculously stay aflame, but only in the houses of the faithful.
Blessed Anna Maria Taigi (1769–1837) is the best-known seer associated with the prophecy. She reportedly described the event as a time of intense darkness where nothing could be seen. She also warned that out of curiosity, one must not look outside or leave their homes, or they would fall dead on the spot. During these three days, people should stay indoors, pray the Rosary, and beg God for mercy.
It is important to note that the Catholic Church has no official stance on the "Three Days of Darkness." While some Catholics embrace it as a powerful message from God, emphasizing the importance of spiritual preparation and repentance, others view it as a fringe eschatological belief. The specifics of the prophecy, such as the miraculous beeswax candles, are derived from private revelations, and the origins of the prophecy are unclear, with no written predictions found in the works of the saints and mystics to whom it has been attributed.
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Only blessed beeswax candles will provide light
In Roman Catholicism, the Three Days of Darkness is an eschatological concept that some Catholics believe to be a true prophecy of future events. The prophecy foretells three days and nights of intense darkness over the whole earth, during which all enemies of the Church will perish. It is believed that only blessed beeswax candles will provide light during this time.
The origins of the prophecy are unclear, but it has been attributed to several saints and mystics throughout history, including St. Hildegard of Bingen, St. Patrick, and St. Teresa of Avila. Blessed Anna Maria Taigi (1769–1837) is the best-known seer associated with the prophecy. She reportedly described the event as three days and nights of intense darkness over the earth, during which the air would be laden with pestilence, claiming the lives of mainly, but not exclusively, the enemies of religion.
According to the prophecy, it will be impossible to use any man-made lighting during the three days of darkness, except for blessed candles. Those who look outside or leave their homes will fall dead instantly. People are instructed to remain indoors, pray the Rosary, and beg God for mercy. The Breton Stigmatist, Marie-Julie Jahenny (1850–1941), added that the candles would miraculously stay aflame throughout the period but would not light in the houses of the godless.
The specifics of the prophecy, such as the miraculous beeswax candles, are derived from private revelation. It is believed by some that the prophecy is not to be taken literally, but rather as a symbolic representation of Divine Justice. The Catholic Church itself has no official stance on the Three Days of Darkness prophecy, and it is not a matter of Church teaching. While some Catholics embrace the prophecy as a powerful message from God, urging spiritual preparation and repentance, others view it as a fringe eschatological belief.
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The enemies of religion will perish
The "Three Days of Darkness" is a prophecy believed by some Catholics to be a true prophecy of future events. According to the prophecy, there will be three days and nights of intense darkness over the whole earth. During this time, all the enemies of the Church will perish, with the exception of a few whom God will soon convert.
The specifics of the prophecy, such as the use of miraculous beeswax candles, are derived from private revelations attributed to several Catholic saints and mystics throughout history. One of the most famous quotations about this event is attributed to the Italian mystic Blessed Anna Maria Taigi (1769-1837), who reportedly described the event as follows:
> There shall come over the whole earth an intense darkness lasting three days and three nights. Nothing can be seen, and the air will be laden with pestilence which will claim mainly, but not only, the enemies of religion. It will be impossible to use any man-made lighting during this darkness, except blessed candles. He, who out of curiosity, opens his window to look out, or leaves his home, will fall dead on the spot.
Another mystic associated with the prophecy is Marie-Julie Jahenny (1850-1941), known as the "Breton Stigmatist." She expanded upon the story, claiming that the three days of darkness would occur on a Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, and that all of Hell would be let loose to strike at those outside their homes or without a lit blessed candle of pure wax. These candles, she said, would miraculously stay aflame in the homes of the faithful but would not light at all in the houses of the godless.
It is important to note that the Catholic Church has no official stance on the "Three Days of Darkness" prophecy, and it is not a matter of Church teaching. While some Catholics have embraced the prophecy as a powerful and urgent message from God, emphasizing the importance of spiritual preparation and repentance, others view it as a fringe eschatological belief.
The origins of the prophecy are unclear, and it has been attributed to various saints and mystics throughout history, including St. Hildegard of Bingen, St. Patrick, and St. Teresa of Avila. However, no written evidence has been found to support these attributions, and the idea appears to be of more recent origin. While some visionaries and prophets today speak of the "Three Days of Darkness," their revelations have not been investigated or approved by the Church.
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The Three Days of Darkness is not Church teaching
The "Three Days of Darkness" is a concept in Roman Catholicism that foretells a period of intense darkness over the whole earth, derived from the belief in a true prophecy of future events. This prophecy is believed by some Catholics and states that, during this time, all enemies of the Church will perish, and the only source of light will come from blessed beeswax candles.
However, it is important to clarify that the Three Days of Darkness is not a matter of official Church teaching. While it has captivated many Catholics and is associated with various saints and mystics, the specifics of this prophecy are derived from private revelations, and it is not a doctrine that Catholics are obliged to follow or believe. The origins of the prophecy are unclear, and it has been attributed to several saints and mystics, including St. Hildegard of Bingen, St. Patrick, and St. Teresa of Avila, but none of their writings contain predictions about it.
The prophecy is believed to parallel the Ten Plagues against Egypt in the Book of Exodus and the Apocalypse of John, which mentions a plague of unnatural darkness. However, the details of the Three Days of Darkness prophecy are not found in these texts. While some passages in the Bible mention darkness, they do not specify a duration of three days.
The Church does not require believers to adhere to any particular prophecy, but it acknowledges the possibility of prophecies occurring even in modern times, as mentioned in the Gospel. While the Three Days of Darkness is not a part of official Church doctrine, Catholics are free to discuss and form their own opinions on the matter.
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Frequently asked questions
In Roman Catholicism, the Three Days of Darkness is an eschatological concept that is believed by some Catholics to be a true prophecy of future events. It foretells three days and nights of intense darkness over the whole earth, during which all enemies of the Church will perish.
During this time, the only source of light will come from blessed beeswax candles. People must not look outside or leave their homes, or they will die instantly. Demons will roam the earth, and people must pray the rosary and beg God for mercy.
The origins of the prophecy are unclear, but it has been attributed to several Catholic saints and mystics, including St. Hildegard of Bingen, St. Patrick, St. Teresa of Avila, Blessed Anna Maria Taigi, Marie-Julie Jahenny, and others. The specifics of the prophecy are derived from private revelation, and it is not a matter of official Church teaching.
