At the end of his letter to the Philippians, the apostle Paul pleads with two women in the church who had been quarreling to take on the mind of Christ. The apostle them follows with several sentences explaining how one does this, In so doing, he says, the peace of Christ will begin to rule over us. The Greek and Hebrew words for peace mean much more than merely ‘the absence of conflict. Shalom (and the Greek word irene) mean flourishing and wholesomeness. This is the quality God desires for us, both as individuals and as communities.