This Novena to St. Miriam was Written by Eric Healy, Holy Infant Parish, on the occasion of the Baptism of his daughter, Abigail Miriam Healy. Used by permission.

In the name of the Father,
and of the Son,
and of the Holy Spirit.

Amen.

Opening Prayer:

St. Miriam, we honor you
as one of the most influential Saints
among the stories in the Bible.
It was you, throughout your life,
that impacted and guided an enslaved people towards freedom.
While your name means “bitterness”,
your journey, faith and works combined,
have transformed the meaning of your name
to by synonymous with “hope”.
How underappreciated, underrated and unsung you were and are.
Let your name be a beacon of hope and refuge
for girls and women in need of your guidance and mercy.

Day 1:

St. Miriam, daughter of Amram and Yocheved,
and older sister of Aaron and Moses,
being born when the bitter enslavement began,
pray that we gain perspective from your bondage
and appreciate the freedom we have to worship Adonai (God in Hebrew).

Day 2:

St. Miriam, prophetess,
who was open to the word of Adonai,
prophesied when you were still only a child.
You told your mom, Yocheved,
that she was going to give birth to a son
who would free the Jewish people from Egyptian bondage.
Pray that we are open to Adonai’s guidance
and graces during our pilgrimage and journey.

Day 3:

St. Miriam, King Pharoah decreed you
and your mother as midwives to kill, at birth,
any baby boy born to a Jewish mother.
You defied Pharoah, knowing Adonai is the ruler of the universe.
You saved babies, while risking your own life.
Pray that we respect life, in all its forms,
born and unborn regardless of ability.

Day 4:

St. Miriam, how distraught you must have been when your parents,
Yocheved and Amram, separated.
King Pharoah had said that all Jewish baby boys
be thrown into the river.
You explained to your dad
that your father’s decree was worse than Pharoah’s,
for Pharaoh aimed at boys only,
while your father would prevent both boys and girls from being born.
Your father Amram was a leader of your people
and his people would have followed his example
and divorced their wives to prevent the birth of boys.
How wise were you to speak up to prevent numerous divorces.
Amram remarried Yocheved
and the following year Moses was born.
Pray we respect the union of marriage
and all of its intended purposes
and pray parents are open to hearing their children
because like you St. Miriam,
children can say things that are wise beyond their years.

Day 5:

St. Miriam, your mother hid Moses for 3 months,
but could no longer hide him from the king’s officers
who wished to throw all Jewish babies into the Nile River.
Yocheved placed Moses in a basket
and placed him among the reeds at the river’s bank.
You had faith that Moses would be rescued somehow.
Like a good big sister, you watched from a distance.
Pray that we build our faith everyday
so that we may have the trust you had in Adonai
as you watched your baby brother float down the Nile River.

Day 6:

St. Miriam, you boldly and bravely approached the princess
after she discovered the baby Moses in the Nile.
The princess had leprosy and upon touching the basket,
her leprosy disappeared.
You then offered the princess
to bring a Jewish nursing mother to nurse the baby.
She agreed and you brought your mother to nurse Moses.
Pray that we may be brave enough to have faith
and confront difficult situations in our lives.
Pray that we ask for what we need,
for Adonai will provide,
so long as the request is in line with his will.

Day 7:

St. Miriam, you and your two brothers Aaron and Moses
were the three devoted shepherds of the people
throughout their forty years’ wandering in the desert
on the way to the Promised Land.
Three divine gifts sustained the Jewish people in the desert.
The Manna, the clouds of glory and the well were the divine gifts.
These gifts were bestowed in the merit of you
and the other two worthy shepherds.
Your merit provided the well.
How you quenched the thirst of your people during their journey.
Miram’s Well, a rolling rock that accompanied you on your journey,
provided fresh water in the desert.
Pray that your well quenches our thirst as we tire on our journey.
As our cup empties, we pray your well quenches our needs.
Pray that we never doubt that Adonai will provide for our needs.

Day 8:

St. Miriam, you criticized your brother Moses
for divorcing his wife Tzipporah.
God spoke sternly to you
and said that Moses was correct in his action
so Moses could focus on leading his people.
You were punished with leprosy.
You had to leave for seven days.
You were obedient and patient.
You accepted your punishment.
Your people were patient as well
and showed their love for you.
They waited to continue the journey until you were cured.
Pray that when we fall short and make mistakes,
may we be humble and pray for forgiveness
and grow in strength from acknowledgement of our shortcomings.
Pray that we have a family or group of people
that accept us for our imperfect nature
and want to grow with us guided by the light of Adonai.

Day 9:

St. Miriam, throughout the history of this world,
women have not been afforded the God given rights
and respects afforded to men.
This is unacceptable.
By your example, throughout your entire life,
you provided a shining example
of the greatness that women can achieve.
Pray that we raise our girls and boys
to be empowered and work together for gender equality.
Pray that adults model positive behavior
to which our children can strive
to treat each other with respect, regardless of gender.

Closing Prayer:

St. Miriam, please intercede on our behalf.
We pray especially for
[Mention your need(s) here...].
Please watch over us,
as you did baby Moses and your people,
as our journey is unveiled to us.
Quench our thirst.

St. Miriam, we humbly request you join us
in the following prayer to Adonai.
You abound in blessings, Adonai,
Creator of the universe,
Who sustains us with living water.
May we, like the children of Israel leaving Egypt,
be guarded and nurtured and kept alive in the wilderness,
and may You give us wisdom to understand
that the journey itself holds the promise of redemption.

Say 1 Our Father...

Say 1 Hail Mary...

Say 1 Glory Be...

Pray for us, O Holy Prophetess St. Miriam,
That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.