The English Word, attar, is from a persian root, which means "fragrance," and refers to the oil extracted from flowers, especially rose petals, to make perfume. The Bulgarian attar of roses is the finest in the world, cultivated in the Valley of Roses in the Balkan Mountains. The harvesting or distilling must not occur in the bright sunlight of the day, but in the darkest hours of the night. Scientific tests have shown that during this dark interval the blossoms give their sweetest scent. More than 40 percent of the aroma disappears in the daylight. Encyclopedia of 7700 lllustrations, lllustration No. 6908. Is this like gratitude in our lives — more readily present in our darkest hours and sometimes lax during the sunshine periods?
Gratitude is expressed by giving thanks, which is the common translation in the King James Version of the Bible for the Greek root of gratitude, charis, meaning to rejoice. Charis is rendered in most contemporary translations as gratitude, and is also the root for grace: "A favor done without expectation of return; the absolutely free expression of the loving kindness of God to men finding its only motive in the bounty and benevolence of the Giver." The Complete Word Study Dictionary: New Testament (electronic edition).
One of the most touching examples of gratitude during Christ Jesus' ministry was the healing of ten lepers. See Luke 17:11-19 . To fully appreciate its significance, it's helpful to go back to the original command in the Mosaic Law, where there was an elaborate ritual for a leper to report to the priest to be sure a skin disease had been healed. See Leviticus, Chaps. 13-14 . This ritual symbolized being ceremoniously clean or pure. It's ironic that such an elaborate ritual was established since the healing of leprosy was in fact so rare. Moses and Miriam were the only Hebrews mentioned having been healed of leprosy and the third was a non-Hebrew, Naaman the Syrian. See Exodus 4:6, 7 ; Numbers 12:10-15; and Second Kings 5:1-14. For over 1,000 years, the priests may have wondered why the Levitical law was written. Jesus' command for the lepers to show themselves to the priest was nothing less than the announcement of the Messiah's arrival! The gratitude of the leper who returned to give thanks was tied to his recognition of Jesus as the Messiah or Christ. Our continuing recognition of the presence and power of Christ is at the heart of our gratitude. And the lepers obedience in going to the priest preceded the healing: "And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed."
As we, too, recognize the spiritual power of Christ, Truth, our lives are purified. When we take this spiritual power of Christ, Truth, our lives are purified. When we take this spiritualization of thought and life to our "temple," to our understanding of Church, the gratitude we feel produces the Christly light that draws spiritual seekers — as it drew seekers to Christ Jesus and the early Church. Gratitude can be a thankfulness born of a great kindness someone has done for us, with us, or to us, such as the example of Christ Jesus healing the lepers. The Bible points to the source of such magnanimity as rooted in God's lovingkindness for Her creation. Our inherent ability to then express that love to others is rooted in the principle of reflection, recorded in Genesis: "And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness." Genesis 1:26.
When we understand that God is the source of all good, then our gratitude isn't intermittent, but constant. We don't look to see whether the material conditions indicate if we can give a "thumbs up" to the day or situation; we're like the Balkan roses that radiate their perfume during the darkest hour, knowing the dawn will arrive.
The Hebrew Scriptures and the New Testament present innumerable ways to think about gratitude. One of the surprises, from looking at the number of references to giving thanks throughout the Scriptures, is how different the reasons can be for expressing gratitude. By looking at the gamut of why Biblical figures give thanks, we find cause for our grateful response.
Perhaps we express gratitude because of who God is to us: "Because thy lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee." Psalms 63:3. Or, to make a request: "By prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God." Philippians 4:6 . Perhaps because someone told us we should: "It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord, and to sing praises unto thy name, O most High." Psalms 92:1. Because it enables us to do something: "He thanked God, and took courage." Acts 28:15. Or, because our hearts overflow with thankfulness for what has already occurred: "Thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." First Corinthians 15:57 .
Whatever the motive, we want to be like the one leper out of ten who returned to give thanks, and not the nine who went on their way, not acknowledging God as the source of all good.
I like to keep notes on different types of gratitude in the Bible. One of the most arresting verses on gratitude I've noted, for example, is one I had misread for many years: "Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it." Malachi 3:10. I loved its promise of abundance and plenty, but had neglected to see the condition for realizing it in earlier verses. Understanding the context of such familiar verses yields wholly new insights and application. Here, God is speaking to His people, Israel, through his prophet Malachi. Beginning in verse 7, we realize the people are being rebuked for their disobedience.
The Message renders these verses: "You have a long history of ignoring my commands. You haven't done a thing I've told you. Return to me so I can return to you,' says God-of-the-Angel-Armies. . . . 'Bring your full tithe to the Temple treasury so there will be ample provisions in my Temple. Test me in this and see if I don't open up heaven itself to you and pour out blessings beyond your wildest dreams.'" Malachi 3:6, 7,10, The Message.
God's directive for Israel to change its ways starts with gratitude, bringing a tenth of their harvest to the Temple to acknowledge God and express their deep appreciation for their abundance. A Bible dictionary explains that in the time of Ezra and Nehemiah, the tithe was a tax collected at the Temple to support the priests and Levites, The Anchor Bible Dictionary, Volume 6, p. 579 . although the requirement was not always observed or enforced.
So whether or not one is led to practice tithing literally by giving a tenth of his or her income to a church, the practice of obedience to God's directives, of acknowledging the source of all good as from God, of supporting financially the church and those who earn their living from the healing and speaking ministries, are some of the ways the idea of tithing can translate to our time. The definition of tithe in Science and Health gives new meaning to this Biblical term: "Contribution; tenth part; homage; gratitude." Science and Health, p. 595.
That warning in Malachi—to never forget the source of blessings and the consequent demand for obedience—lends insight into a revealing moment about what the disciples had witnessed in the multiplying of the loaves and fishes. Jesus had stayed behind to pray while they went out on the sea in a boat. As a storm arose, he walked across the water. These are two extraordinary moments overturning all of matter's supposed laws of limitation and turmoil. Yet, the disciples seem to have already forgotten the first—the multiplication of food for the multitude: "For they considered not the miracle of the loaves: for their heart was hardened." Mark 6:52. What a reminder to remember our healings in a moment of temporary darkness or fear, so that our hearts are not hardened (from the Greek verb poroo, which means to harden or make callous and insensible). The Complete Word Study Dictionary: New Testament (electronic edition) .
Gratitude keeps us from falling into a mental state opposite to the pliable, receptive heart that listens for God's direction, comfort, and healing. Mary Baker Eddy identified this same heartfelt receptivity in the woman who washed Jesus' feet, when she wrote: "This is what is meant by seeking Truth, Christ, not 'for the loaves and fishes,' nor, like the Pharisee, with the arrogance of rank and display of scholarship, but like Mary Magdalene, from the summit of devout consecration, with the oil of gladness and the perfume of gratitude, with tears of repentance and with those hairs all numbered by the Father." Science and Health, p. 367.
Not just at this season but throughout the year, it's natural to emit the fragrance of thanksgiving, and like the rose, to do so in the daylight as well as the darkest hours. 
