If you follow the Wests Tigers, you almost get used to waking up to headlines you didn’t ask for. Another disagreement behind the scenes.
Another shake-up. Another round of public frustration about who’s staying, who’s going, and who’s being blamed for what. It gets tiring – and fans aren’t shy about saying so.
But there’s something I’ve noticed over the years even with all the drama; the supporters don’t disappear.
They may vent, argue and disagree on who’s at fault – owners, board members, executives, take your pick – but they still care. They still show up and call the Tigers their team.
Their display of loyalty says something important. Because at some point, loyalty stops being about the individuals involved and becomes something deeper.
Fans stay because their connection is to the club itself – the identity, the colours, the history – not just the personalities who currently occupy the offices.
And strangely enough, that same dynamic appears in the spiritual life as well.
Plenty of people have walked away from the Catholic Church because an individual hurt them, disappointed them, or behaved in a way that didn’t reflect Christ.
Some left because of serious wrongdoing. Some because of silence where courage and clarity were needed. Others because of words spoken uncharitably. The pain caused by individuals is real, and it shouldn’t be dismissed.
But the response to those failures often reveals what our faith was actually rooted in.
As Catholics, we don’t place our ultimate trust in the behaviour of other Catholics – whether they’re clergy or laypeople. Yes, we honour, respect, and obey the legitimate authority Christ has placed in his church. That’s not up for debate.
However, our discipleship doesn’t revolve around whether the members of the church behave perfectly. We follow Christ, who founded his church and remains faithful even when those within it fall short.
The mission of the church doesn’t need reform. The truth doesn’t need an update. Christ hasn’t changed. What sometimes needs renewing are the hearts of the individuals who haven’t lived up to the mission they’ve been given. That’s very different from saying the church itself is broken.
Tigers fans live out a version of this every season. Their loyalty doesn’t mean they approve of every decision. It doesn’t mean they pretend everything is fine. But they stay because the club is bigger than the mess that surrounds it.
And in a far deeper, far more important way, the Catholic faith invites us to do the same: to remain rooted in Christ even when individuals within the church fail to reflect him.
Staying doesn’t mean excusing wrongdoing. It doesn’t mean ignoring problems. It simply means recognising that the foundation – Christ and his church – is solid, even when the people standing on it are not.
Tigers fans stay because it’s their club. Catholics stay because it’s Christ’s church.
In both cases, faithfulness isn’t about perfection. It’s about belonging and clinging to the truth that stands greater than the chaos of the moment.