Our inherent “likeness to the Beloved (God)” depends upon there objective connection given by the Beloved equally to all creatures, each of whom carries the Devine DNA in a unique way. This phenomenon is called original participation. It is also call original blessing or original innocence (“unwoundedness”). Whatever you call it, the “image of the Beloved” is absolute and unchanging. There is nothing humans can do increase it or decrease it. And it is not ours to decide who has it or does not have it, which has been most of our problem up to now. It is pure and total gift, given to equally to all. This is best indicated in the writings of St Paul in Ephesians 1: 4-6; “The Beloved chose us in the Christ before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless before the Beloved in love. The Beloved destined us for adoption as children through Jesus the Christ, according to pleasure of the Beloved, to praise of his glorious grace that the Beloved freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.” Universal salvation to all humanity and to all of the Beloved’s creation was the plan of the Beloved before the beginning of time, and original blessing came from Beloved from before time began to humanity and all of creation.
Excerpts from: The Universal Christ by Richard Rohr.
