Perspective

Mother Teresa's perspective is not subtle at all. She is a deeply committed Christian, altruist and egalitarian. First, Teresa accepts a particularly radical Catholic conception of Christianity. She believes that salvation comes through faith in God, but she has a highly works-oriented conception of merit before God, meaning that one can merit God's favor according to one's service to God's will. She over and over again emphasizes that on judgment day God will judge us according to our service to the weakest among us.

Further, Teresa is a radical altruist. She explicitly states that she fears nothing more than money because it threatens people with becoming attached to their own interests and resistant to sharing, which is absolutely central to a good and happy life. She and her sisters refuse to keep anything for themselves, giving away all but what they need to live a materially basic life...