Ingratitude is not an option: gratitude as imago Dei

Abstract

The thesis of this paper is that gratitude is “hard-wired” into the very fiber of our being. Humans were created in the image and likeness of God, and God was thankful for what God had created. Thus, if we are the imago Dei, we must feel gratitude as God did. The author suggests that one of the key components of the imago Dei is the Erotic, explaining that the Erotic is more than what we do sexually; on the contrary, it adds texture and fiber to every area of our lives, resulting in passion, com/passion, and mutuality. It inspires us to reach beyond ourselves to others, as Jesus directed his disciples to do when he said, “Love your neighbor as yourself,” and as he demonstrated with his inclusive, healing touch. Using feminist and queer theology and biblical interpretation, Bohache demonstrates that the Other is our neighbor and that our gratitude must extend to those who are unlike ourselves. Often, marginalized or oppressed people have the ability to express gratitude in extraordinary ways, simply by virtue of what they have experienced as the Other. The author describes some paradigms that have been proposed for accessing gratitude and thus tapping into our imago Dei, concluding with how we might still empower gratitude, com/passion, and mutuality in the midst of a pandemic.