The Kicker

Praying persistently and persuasively  

Luke 18:1-8 

          Jesus told his disciples a parable about the necessity for them to pray always without becoming weary.  He said, “There was a judge in a certain town who neither feared God nor respected any human being. And a widow in that town used to come to him and say, ‘Render a just decision for me against my adversary.’ For a long time the judge was unwilling, but eventually he thought, ‘While it is true that I neither fear God nor respect any human being,  because this widow keeps bothering me I shall deliver a just decision for her lest she finally come and strike me.’”  The Lord said, “Pay attention to what the dishonest judge says.  Will not God then secure the rights of his chosen ones who call out to him day and night?  Will he be slow to answer them? I tell you, he will see to it that justice is done for them speedily. But when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”   

          Being from the South, you’ve no doubt heard the expression, “the squeaky wheel gets the grease.” Have you heard that? It means that the person who complains the most gets the attention he wants. This famous phrase was originally penned in a poem called, “The Kicker” back in 1870. By the way, the word “kicker” in those days meant “complainer.” The poem was written by Josh Billings and goes like this: “I hate to be a kicker (complainer), / I always long for peace. / But the wheel that does the squeaking, / Is the one that gets the grease.” The poem is somewhat simple but sensible.   

          Now, other cultures have other ways of expressing this same maxim. In Japanese they say, “The stake that sticks up gets hammered down.” In Chinese, they hold: “The crying baby gets the milk.” In Korean, they teach: “The pointy stone meets chisel.” And in Spanish, we hear: “The baby who does not cry, does not suck,” meaning the baby who doesn’t cry doesn’t get to nurse. It’s fascinating how wide-spread this notion is: it cuts across virtually every culture and is a perennial human experience.   

          In the gospel today, Jesus uses a parable to teach a similar point about the squeaky wheel, the kicker. He describes a dishonest judge who finally relents and renders a decision for a widow who was a “kicker,” a complainer. Listen now to the words Jesus places on the judge’s lips, he says: “While it is true that I neither fear God nor respect any human being, because this widow keeps bothering me, I shall deliver a just decision for her lest she finally come and strike me.” Jesus’ point is really about praying persistently, and this persistence turns out to be praying persuasively; it wins God’s favor. In other words, be a squeaky wheel – a kicker – when you talk to God. Jesus give us permission today that this very common human experience - something we often do with each other - should also characterize our relationship with God.

          Folks, here are a few ways we can put this parable into practice. First, pray the rosary and repeat 150 Hail Mary’s every day! Some people may argue: isn’t one prayer enough?? Does God have a bad memory that I have to keep praying so many Hail Mary’s to remind him what I want? The Rosary is only prayed by “a kicker.” Second, do a “novena prayer,” which is nine consecutive days of saying the same prayer. Again, a novena helps you become a kicker. Third, have multiple Masses offered for your intention. You might ask: isn’t just one Mass of infinite worth and value and enough for everything? Yes, but one Mass won’t make you “a kicker.” One parishioner left $10,000 worth of Masses to be said for him after he dies – he’ll be kicking till the end of time! Jesus gives us permission to be a kicker today; he gives us permission to be persistent in prayer, which is really being persuasive in prayer.

“I hate to be a kicker, / I always long for peace. / But the wheel that does the squeaking, / Is the one that gets the grease.”

          Praised be Jesus Christ!