Cologne. Frankfurt. Peaceful youth protests are being infiltrated by small groups with ulterior motives and are escalating. Shocking images are circulating online. To ensure that the original aim of the demonstrations is not lost, I am preaching on All Saints’ Day on the topic of ‘trust’. Saints are people who, despite all their limitations and sins, rise again and again by trusting in God’s mercy, thereby cherishing the sacred within themselves and striving to do the same for those they encounter. With the younger generation of our time in mind, I concluded by asking: ‘Be honest: who amongst us here in this church is in deep, genuine contact with at least one young person, so as to understand their life and help them grow strong?’ A middle-aged man had been listening attentively. Later, he wrote to me: “I have several young apprentices in my business. But today it has dawned on me that I have never asked how they are really getting on and have never really taken an interest in their life journeys. That is going to change now.”
