Will the Chastisement (Three Days of Darkness) be in 2038?

As Covid 19 mutates into variants while emerging in different strains, dreaded Ebola erupts elsewhere, as a dangerous kind of bird flu is reported in Russia. Are we to hold on to new vaccines which, under non-pandemic circumstances, can not be pronounced safe for world consumption until about 10 years of scientific scrutiny?

As Catholics, there's something to literally hold on to. Our Blessed Mother said as much on Oct. 13, 1973 in her message to Sister Agnes Sasagawa in Akita, Japan where she repeated what she had been telling mankind over the centuries. In Akita, she sai d:

"...Pray very much the prayers of the Rosary. I alone am able to still save you from the calamities which approach. Those who place their confidence in Me will be saved."

Fast forward, The New York Times (NYT), Feb. 25, 2021: Two women, one aged 105 and the other 117, were stricken by Covid 19 and survived well. Apart from being over 100 and women, another common thing was found between them: they were rosary devotees.

NYT: "Ask Lucia DeClerck (of New Jersey) how she has lived to be 105, and she is quick with an answer. 'Prayer. Prayer. Prayer,' she offers. 'One step at a time. No junk food.'"

"A devout Catholic, Ms. DeClerck led rosary prayers each week at the nursing home and, before the pandemic, was a fixture at weekly Mass. When she was diagnosed, said the home’s administrator," NYT reported/

The paper reported that “At first she was a little apprehensive, a little scared, but she said, ‘God will protect me.’”

NYT also reported "Europe’s oldest known resident, Sister André, contracted the virus at 116 — becoming the oldest known person to have survived Covid-19." The nun also frequently prayed the rosary.

"She celebrated with a glass of Champagne on her 117th birthday earlier this month at a nursing home in Toulon, a city in southeastern France," NYT said.

Meanwhile, warnings from Heaven continue to be issued via mystics. Last Feb. 23, our Blessed Mother told Gisella Cardia:

"My children, thank you for always welcoming me in your hearts. Beloved children, look around you: this is a time of destruction, confusion and above all of choices — you are being invited to decide which side you will take. I therefore say to you: there is only one way to make the right choice — follow the Gospel, the Word of God, and be in prayer. Let His light enter your hearts; only in this way will you be able to understand which [road] is

the high road (la strada maestra). The falsehoods of this world are more harmful than any disease — see how many suicides there are, especially of children. The devil is at full strength, which is why I ask families to teach your children about prayer, explaining that only through it can you have peace and serenity in hearts, because without God’s light there is darkness. Baptize your children so that they might be able to walk towards a holy life.

"My children, the world and humanity are on the precipice: strengthen yourselves in faith and prayer, because soon the Antichrist will make his appearance. Children, may you also have the hope that everything will be renewed so that there would be a new world of peace, hope and love. Everything is ready for these events, but first you will have to go through tribulation and persecution. See the signs, be courageous: we will be next to you. Children, repent and convert to the one true God, God of peace, love, mercy and justice. Now I leave you with my blessing in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, Amen."

But back to the Garabandal, Spain apparitions (1961-65), which is one of the richest sources of prophecies in modern Marian mystic history. Remember the chronological prophecies from there: the Warning, the Miracle, and the Chastisement.

Growing interest in Garabandal is borne of the fact that its visionaries are clear that the first two prophecies are to be experienced in our times. Consider that visionary Conchita, now 72 years old, was tasked by the Blessed Mother to announce the day of the Miracle eight days in advance. Remember that the Warning would come first and that the two would occur no more than a year apart.

Garabandal also gave other hints: the Miracle would occur on a Thursday (Spain time, for sure) on the feast of a martyr of the Eucharist. Those who have devoted much research on this subject have named two such martyrs: St. Imelda whose feast day is every May 13 and St. Hermenegild whose feast day is every April 13.

The researchers noted that the next time that St. Imelda's feast day falls on the Thursday, is on May 13, 2021 while St. Hermenegild's feast day on a Thursday is on April 13, 2023.

And also, the Garabandal visionaries had revealed that the date of the Miracle would be any day from the 8th to the 16th of March, April, or May. Indeed, the feast days of the two martyrs qualify here. The ball is yours, dear reader.

What about the Chastisement which could happen if mankind is not sufficiently converted by the Warning and the Miracle? Some have maintained that the Chastisement refers to the Three Days of Darkness prophesied by saints as far back as the 16th century (details on this in another column).

St. Bridget of Sweden prophesied on the time of the Chastisement as follows: "When the feast of St. Mark shall fall on Easter, the feast of St. Anthony on Pentecost and that of St. John the Baptist on the feast of Corpus Christi, the whole world shall cry, Woe!"

Researchers have noted that the feast of St. Mark falls on Easter on April 25, 2038, the feast of St. Anthony on Pentecost on June 13, 2038 and that of St. John the Baptist on the feast of Corpus Christi on June 24, 2038. All in the year 2038.

I will be too old for that.

But that's not too far away.