Prayer for the Ascension

Let us ascend in spirit with Christ, that when His day comes,
we may follow with our body.
Yet you must know, beloved brethren,
that not pride, nor avarice, nor impurity, nor any other vice ascends with Christ;
for with the Teacher of humility pride ascends not,
nor with the Author of goodness, malice, nor with the Son of the Virgin, impurity.
Let us then ascend with Him by trampling upon our vices and evil inclinations,
thus build­ing a ladder by which we can ascend;
for we make a ladder of our sins to heaven when we tread them down in combating them.

- St. Augustine