Tea at Trianon: The Three Days of Darkness Revisited

John Wilson Croker on Marie-Antoinette

"We have followed the history of Marie Antoinette with the greatest diligence and scrupulosity. We have lived in those times. We have talked with some of her friends and some of her enemies; we have read, certainly not all, but hundreds of the libels written against her; and we have, in short, examined her life with– if we may be allowed to say so of ourselves– something of the accuracy of contemporaries, the diligence of inquirers, and the impartiality of historians, all combined; and we feel it our duty to declare, in as a solemn a manner as literature admits of, our well-matured opinion that every reproach against the morals of the queen was a gross calumny– that she was, as we have said, one of the purest of human beings."

~from History of the Guillotine by John Wilson Croker, 1844

Edmund Burke on Marie-Antoinette

"It is now sixteen or seventeen years since I saw the queen of France, then dauphiness, at Versailles; and surely there never lighted on this orb, which she hardly seemed to touch, a more delightful vision. I saw her just above the horizon, decorating and cheering the elevated sphere she had just begun to move in, glittering like a morning star full of life and splendor and joy. Oh, what a revolution....Little did I dream that I should have lived to see such disasters fall upon her, in a nation of gallant men, in a nation of men of honor and of cavaliers! I thought ten thousand swords must have leaped from their scabbards, to avenge even a look which threatened her with insult. But the age of chivalry is gone; that of sophisters, economists, and calculators has succeeded...."

~Edmund Burke, October 1790

Sunday, June 4, 2023

The Three Days of Darkness Revisited

Prophecies are meant to help and inspire the faithful but can also frighten and disturb certain souls, causing scrupulosity. In that case, there are other spiritual books. There is an article on Catholic Answers circulating online about the prophecies concerning the "Three Days of Darkness." Sadly, the writer of the article is totally out of his depth. He claims the book Profezie Private does not exist but Emmett O'Regan referred to it in Unveiling the Apocalypse. And I have the word of Desmond A. Birch that it does exist because Professor Birch used it in his book Trial, Tribulation & Triumph. Now out of print, Trial, Tribulation & Triumph compiled over twenty years worth of scholarship (by this I mean old-fashioned scholarship in libraries around the world, not just googling) and if anyone can get a copy of it, it is worth reading.

The aforesaid article also claims that since the Vatican website does not mention the "Three Days of Darkness" then the entire collection of prophecies do not have Church approval. What? The prophecies of the "Three Days of Darkness" come from several different mystics over the course of a thousand years or more. The Church does not have to approve every single vision of every single mystic. The visions of St. Teresa of Avila are worthy of notice although each individual vision did not necessarily run the gamut of approval. They were scrutinized as was her entire life, but each vision did not need individual approval by ecclesiastical authorities. The Church leaves some things up to the individual Catholic’s Sensus Fidelium, a sense of the Faith which the baptized possess under the guidance of the Church. Anyway, I would refer people to other more reliable sources about traditional Catholic prophecy and mysticism than the Catholic Answers article. I hope Trial, Tribulation & Triumph is reprinted someday.

I also would like to refer people to the excellent blog of my friend Elizabeth which explores the various prophecies and mystics. Those concerning the "Three Days of Darkness" are HERE.

Here is an article from 2016 about the prophecy by Irish Scripture scholar Emmett O'Regan, who also wrote a wonderful book called Unveiling the Apocalypse. The "Three Days of Darkness" may well have already happened: was it the 30 years of doctrinal confusion after V2? To quote:

I have always understood the Three Days of Darkness in various private revelations to be symbolic in nature, rather than literal. It just seems to be too extreme to imagine that God would not only flout the laws of nature in such an incredible manner, but also allow innumerable souls be carried straight to hell just for peeking out the window, or nipping down to the shops at night to pick up a few tea-bags. From the very first time hearing of the prophecies of the Three Days of Darkness, I always had an impression that they were symbolic in nature. It will be worth looking over what Bl. Anna Maria Taigi had to say concerning the Three Days of Darkness before attempting an interpretation:

God will send two punishments: one will be in the form of wars, revolutions and other evils; it shall originate on earth. The other will be sent from Heaven. 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. All the enemies of the Church, whether known or unknown, will perish over the whole earth during that universal darkness, with the exception of a few whom God will soon convert. The air shall be infected by demons who will appear under all sorts of hideous forms. (Blessed Anna Maria Taigi, Private Prophecies, Rome, 1863)

(Read more.)

I wonder if symbolically the message is telling people to stay close to the sacraments (since beeswax candles are used at baptism) and staying inside the house, which is the Church, and not becoming involved in false religions. Symbolism does not mean it is not real. In the past 50 years all hell has been flung at the Church. From Emmett O'Regan:

I know that a symbolic interpretation of the Three Days of Darkness isn't going to prove popular with some people (especially the beeswax candle industry), but here goes my take on this particular subject anyway...The home that we are urged not to leave during this time of darkness represents the Church itself. Outside of the Church there is no salvation, only a looming darkness which threatens to drag us away into hell. The darkness is the Great Apostasy prophesied throughout the New Testament, when driven by their own selfish egos, baptised Christians would leave the sanctuary and light of the Church, and venture out into the blinkered darkness of secular atheism....(Read more.)