[St Peter and St Paul] are the pillars that support the Church by their teaching, their prayers, their example of patience. Our Lord strengthened these pillars. In the beginning they were very weak and could not support either themselves or others. This had been wonderfully arranged by Our Lord, for if they had always been strong, one might have thought their strength was their own. Our Lord wished to show first what they were of themselves and only afterwards to strengthen them, so that all would know that their strength was entirely from God.

ST AELRED
SERMON 16, IN A WORD IN SEASON VOL. IV (AUGUSTINIAN PRESS, 1991)