Blessed Sebastian Valfre was a good boy who tried to always put God first.

One day, two of his schoolmates had a quarrel. This first boy was so angry that he refused to forgive the other boy.

When Sebastian heard about this, he became very unhappy, because he knew how much it made the good God sad to see His children fighting with each other. Sebastian thought he would try to make peace between these two boys.

He went to the angry school boy and asked him if he had said the “Our Father” that morning.

Not knowing why Sebastian asked this question, the boy replied promptly, “Yes, of course I did.”

“Did you say it very carefully?” continued Sebastian, trying to speak with great love and gentleness, so as not offend his classmate.

The boy again answered, as before, that he had done so.

Sebastion now spoke earnestly, “Surely you did not notice these words, ‘Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive them that trespass against us,’ ”

By this, Sebastian meant that had the boy noticed those words, he would be acting differently than he was now.

The school boy quickly understood this, too, and the words of the prayer touched his heart. God would forgive his sins and show mercy to him only as generously as he himself forgave and had mercy on those who wronged him.

Realizing this, he saw how wrong it was for him to hold a grudge against his companion. He was filled with shame and repentance, and he at once asked pardon of God for his sin. Once forgiven by God, the lad quickly went to the boy that he’d argued with. The two made up for their quarrel, and became friends again.