Daniel in the Lion’s Den

Daniel in the Lion’s Den

In the Old Testament, the angel Gabriel visited   Daniel. And of course, we also know that Gabriel brought messages from God to Zechariah and Mary in the New Testament. Daniel is most famous for the story in the Lion’s Den where he is protected despite being thrown in the den of lions, and this mosaic is meant to depict that scene. Even though the angel in the den with Daniel is not named, we made it resemble our Gabriel statue. In the scene, Daniel is praying to God while the angel is protecting him, telling him, “Do not be afraid. You are not alone.”  We thought this would be a message God wants us to hear today as well.

Gabriel Appears to Daniel

Gabriel is first mentioned by name in  Daniel 8:16. At this time, Daniel was living in Babylon where the Jews were in exile. As the book of Daniel records, though Daniel had been taken into exile and the service of the Babylonian king, he stayed true to his faith and gained great favor, becoming a powerful man who was also loyal to God.
 
Daniel had many visions of the future. It was after one such vision that the angel Gabriel visited him. Gabriel was called upon to explain the meaning of the vision to Daniel, illuminating what was to come.
 
Gabriel returned at least once more, in  Daniel 9. He was sent in response to Daniel’s prayer and came to give him “insight and understanding” ( Daniel 9:22). In this encounter, Gabriel pointed ahead to the “Anointed One,” a name for the Messiah, who would be Jesus. Gabriel may have spoken to Daniel again, but it is unclear because the angel of  Daniel 10 is not named.
 
The name Gabriel is of Hebrew origin and means "God Is My Strength".
The Daniel Mosaic is located just behind the St. Michael statue as you enter the church from the front  (next to the font).  We hope you enjoy all of the prayer gardens.  It’s great to see families in the gardens explaining the scenes to their children.  St. Gabriel and Daniel, pray for us!

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Pictured: Michael & Ragan Savedra and Gina Borbas with Fr. Don the day the mosaic was blessed.