Question about understanding virginity

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Hi everyone,
I was reading st. Thomas’ Summa Theologica and I’ve read the part about virginity, but I haven’t found anything about women.
I just wanted to ask if a woman masturbates does it mean that she has lost her virginity in Catholic sense? I know this sounds dumb, but I don’t know any other way to formulate this question.
Thank you very much for your help!
 
No. There’s no understanding of virginity that would involve it being lost through masturbation.

99.9999% of people have masturbated at some point. If that precluded virginity, there would be essentially no virgins.
 
Also, I’m sure Thomastic logic applies to women as well. It seems that he only ascribes pleasure to “the resolution of semen”. I don’t know if he only thinks that men can receive pleasure, or if he means to refer to something else here, but if we look at some parts:
It is true that purity, as to its essence, is in the soul; but as to its matter, it is in the body: and it is the same with virginity.
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So purity is in the soul and
Pleasure… If this be the result of the mind’s purpose, it destroys virginity, whether copulation takes place or not.
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Thomas was, I assume, referring to acts that involve sexual pleasure but aren’t intercourse. So oral sex, mutual masturbation, etc.

If anyone who has ever even had impure thoughts loses their virginity, then the concept is meaningless because there are literally no virgins.
 
I suffered from this habit and only by rosary and regular confession was able to overcome this. I am living a fully celibate life. I thank god every day for the graces he provides me with
 
smileyface1 said:
Hi everyone,
I was reading st. Thomas’ Summa Theologica and I’ve read the part about virginity, but I haven’t found anything about women.
I just wanted to ask if a woman masturbates does it mean that she has lost her virginity in Catholic sense? I know this sounds dumb, but I don’t know any other way to formulate this question.
Thank you very much for your help!
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Keep in mind that masturbation includes two forms: psychic and physical.

Modern Catholic Dictionary, Virginity
The state of bodily integrity in either sex. This integrity may be physical or moral, and either factual or intentional. … Moral virginity means the absence of any willful consent to venereal pleasure …
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Loss of moral virginity occurs with willfully entertained psychic pleasure. Sensible pleasure occurs in both male and female, as there is a physiological change causing fluids to secrete in both during excitement.

S.T. II, II, Question 152. Virginity
Article 1. Whether virginity consists in integrity of the flesh?
  • “the integrity of the bodily organ is accidental”
  • “that which concerns the body, and this is the resolution of the semen, causing sensible pleasure”
  • “the purpose of perpetually abstaining from this pleasure is the formal and completive element in virginity.”
 
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So… the person isn’t a virgin then both in moral and phisical way? And also does that mean that a woman who did that shouldn’t wear a veil on her wedding day?
 
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smileyface1 said:
So… the person isn’t a virgin then both in moral and phisical way? And also does that mean that a woman who did that shouldn’t wear a veil on her wedding day?
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Take these questions to your priest if you’re really concerned. All due respect to St Thomas, the way the vast majority of people understand the concept of virginity is “someone who hasn’t had sex.”

Note that this is different from purity. You can be an impure virgin, I suppose, if you’re constantly looking at pornography but refrain from sex.
 
smileyface1 said:
So… the person isn’t a virgin then both in moral and phisical way? And also does that mean that a woman who did that shouldn’t wear a veil on her wedding day?
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There is no rule against wearing a veil.

There is no moral or physical loss when something occurs involuntarily, such as in sleep. Remember that moral culpability depends upon a number of factors.
 
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Definition in the Catholic Dictionary

VIRGINITY-The state of bodily integrity in either sex. This integrity may be physical or moral, and either factual or intentional. Physical virginity is sometimes defined as the absence of any sinfully experienced lustful sensation. But, strictly speaking, a person is physically a virgin unless he or she has had sexual intercourse with a person of the opposite sex. Moral virginity means the absence of any willful consent to venereal pleasure; again, strictly speaking, with a person of the opposite sex. Virginity is factual when, de facto, a person has not in the past sought or indulged in sexual pleasure; it is intentional when a person intends never to experience such pleasure, according to the previous distinctions made. (Etym. Latin virgo, maiden, virgin.

Dictionary : VIRGINITY

VIRGINITY The state of bodily integrity in either sex. This integrity may be physical or moral, and either factual or intentional. Physical virginity is sometimes defined as the absence of any sinfully experienced lustful sensation. But, strictly speaking, a person is physically a virgin unless...
www.catholicculture.org www.catholicculture.org

The Church doesn’t have any requirements about what a bride should or shouldn’t wear on her wedding day.
 
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Elizabeth3 said:
But, strictly speaking, a person is physically a virgin unless he or she has had sexual intercourse with a person of the opposite sex. Moral virginity means the absence of any willful consent to venereal pleasure; again, strictly speaking, with a person of the opposite sex.
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So, does that mean that a person is still a virgin if thay pleasured themselves if nothing is done with another person? I know they phisically are, but are they morally a virgin?
 
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smileyface1 said:
So, does that mean that a person is still a virgin if thay pleasured themselves if nothing is done with another person? I know they phisically are, but are they morally a virgin?
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It seems to me to be saying they are still a virgin if they have no sexual pleasure with a person of the opposite sex. Masturbation (if meeting the three criteria) would be a mortal sin against the virtue of chastity. So it is possible to be a virgin but to have also been unchaste which would need to be forgiven in the Sacrament of Reconciliation.
 
@Elizabeth3 , thank you, I was so confused by this because somewhere they say “No you are not a virgin” and somewhere they say “yes you are”. And in Summa theologica it was pretty confusing to me.
It just bugs me that you will get 50 different answers to the question.
 
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smileyface1 said:
So, does that mean that a person is still a virgin if thay pleasured themselves if nothing is done with another person? I know they phisically are, but are they morally a virgin?
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The same question would apply to homosexual acts as well…this is a loophole that could turn into a rabbit hole.
 
I’m vry sorry if I’m irritating you with this but what should this part “A failure in the resolution, or even incomplete faults, leave room for efficacious repentance, which restores the right to the aureola.” mean?
I found it on NewAdvent catholic encyclopedia.
 
So resolution means “a firm decision to do or not to do something” and a fault is a particular weakness we may have that makes it easier for us to commit a sin or harder to practice a virtue.

That sentence seems to be saying that if someone who has made a firm decision to preserve their virginity as part of a religious vow fails in that decision by maybe entertaining doubts about it or changing their mind for a time (without actually losing their virginity) or perhaps has a weakness to temptation that they have to fight often, can repent and restore the right to the aureola.
 
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Norseman82 said:
The same question would apply to homosexual acts as well…this is a loophole that could turn into a rabbit hole.
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Why would it matter if a person who has committed homosexual acts is still considered a virgin due to virginity being understood only in relation to an act that is natural-sex between a man and a woman?
 
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