Virgin and Marriage

[Antrim]

Is a married person considered a virgin after consumatng the marriage as long as they did not have sex outside of marriage?
What does the catholic church teach on this subject?

Antrim

 

[LilyM]

Is a married person considered a virgin after consumatng the marriage as long as they did not have sex outside of marriage?
What does the catholic church teach on this subject?

Antrim

No. A person is considered to have lost their virginity after any sexual act, regardless of whether that sexual act takes place inside or outside of marriage. So someone who has consummated their marriage is considered no longer to be a virgin.

There’s no Catholic Church teaching, because the definition of ‘virgin’ is fairly straightforward, and by no definition would someone who has consummated their marriage be considered a virgin.

 

[vera_dicere]

Just to expand on this question, a knowledgable Catholic told me once, and I have seen it mentioned elsewhere, that if a virgin someone is raped, that they are still considered a virgin, even if physically they no longer are.

Is that true? Is there teachign on that somewhere?

 

[Ponyguy]

I think that about half the female saints are called a “Virgin and Martyr.” Heck, I think even St. Mary Magdalene is called a “Virgin and Martyr.”

How can this be, when Mary of Magdala was allegedly known to be a prostitute, and was supposedly caught having an illicit affair with a married man?

As far as I can figure, there aren’t too many virgin prostitutes… http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v313/ponyguy/Shrug.gif

 

[diggerdomer]

Is a married person considered a virgin after consumatng the marriage as long as they did not have sex outside of marriage?

No

 

[Elizium23]

St. Mary Magdalene was very likely not a prostitute; that was a story begun by St. Gregory the Great when he conflated three different women from Scripture. Her image has been significantly rehabilitated in modern times.

Saints known as “virgins” are unmarried women who were consecrated to a holy life. A religious nun or sister would be known as a ‘virgin,’ whatever her actual status in life may be.

 

[Ponyguy]

St. Mary Magdalene was very likely not a prostitute; that was a story begun by St. Gregory the Great when he conflated three different women from Scripture. Her image has been significantly rehabilitated in modern times.

During last Sunday’s Gospel, we heard the story of Christ having his feet washed by Mary Mag’s tears and dried with her un-coiffed hair; then she anointed Jesus with $ome heavy-duty fragrance from an alabaster jar. She spent seriously heavy coin and evoked heavy emotions on her self-flagellation before Jesus, and in front of an imperious clique of Pharisees.

We’ll never know for absolutely positive, but the following quotation is from what I base my consideration about the virginity question concerning St. Mary Magdalen:

In the old calendar of the Church, whenever one looks at the feast of St. Mary Magdalene, in it is always inscribed the penitential word – St. Mary Magdalene, penitent. This always follows her name while other saints are known either as virgin, martyr, or sage (doctor) of the Church. Mary Magdalene is known as a penitent. Why penitent? Why was she known for her sacrifices? This is so because according to stories on the life of St. Mary Magdalene, it is said that after our Lord ascended into heaven, Mary Magdalene spent the rest of her life in penance, voluntary penance … penitence. Why did she devote her time in doing voluntary penance? Well, I believe it is well-known amongst us what Mary Magdalene was before she met our Lord Jesus. Many are those who say that Mary Magdalene was a prostitute. There are also those who say that it was Mary Magdalene who was caught in an illicit relationship with a married man and would have died through stoning had she not met our Lord Jesus. Whichever of those stories is true, one thing is certain. In the book of St. Luke in the New Testament, he wrote that Mary Magdalene was enslaved by seven evil spirits. This means that she had fallen deeply into sin – really grievous sins. And because of her dark, sinful past, Mary Magdalene resolved that after the Resurrection of Jesus and His ascension into heaven, that she would spend the rest of her days in voluntary penance and physical suffering.

Saints known as “virgins” are unmarried women who were consecrated to a holy life. A religious nun or sister would be known as a ‘virgin,’ whatever her actual status in life may be.

Thank you for that clarification, “Elizium23”!

 

[1ke]

I think that about half the female saints are called a “Virgin and Martyr.” Heck, I think even St. Mary Magdalene is called a “Virgin and Martyr.”

Yes, those designated Virgin were vowed religious or the equivalent in the early Church.

How can this be, when Mary of Magdala was allegedly known to be a prostitute, and was supposedly caught having an illicit affair with a married man?

As far as I can figure, there aren’t too many virgin prostitutes…

Mary Magdalene was not a prostitute nor was she caught in adultery. People often apply unnamed sinning women in the bible to Mary Magdelene but that is not accurate. The Bible clearly tells us how Mary came to be a disciple of Jesus:

Mary Magdalene had 7 devils cast out of her.

 

[1ke]

Just to expand on this question, a knowledgable Catholic told me once, and I have seen it mentioned elsewhere, that if a virgin someone is raped, that they are still considered a virgin, even if physically they no longer are.

Is that true?

Physically, a person who is raped is no longer a virgin. But, their **purity **remains intact as this act was not voluntary intercourse. They have not committed any sin. Many women who have been attacked in this manner would consider themselves to still be virgins, even though by definition they are not. It matters that the woman had no voluntary part in the act and therefore remains *morally *pure and chaste.

Is there teachign on that somewhere?

No. The church does not have a “teaching” on every detail of life. Words have meaning. Virgin has a specific meaning of not having had intercourse. If a woman who has been attacked sexually wants to consider herself to still be a virgin because she did not consent to the act, that is fine.

I would suggest not splitting hairs with a victim of such a horrible crime.

 

[1ke]

During last Sunday’s Gospel, we heard the story of Christ having his feet washed by Mary Mag’s tears and dried with her un-coiffed hair; then she anointed Jesus with $ome heavy-duty fragrance from an alabaster jar. She spent seriously heavy coin and evoked heavy emotions on her self-flagellation before Jesus, and in front of an imperious clique of Pharisees.

Last Sunday’s Gospel did **not **state that Mary Magdalene did these things. The Gospel says a sinful woman anointed Jesus.

The next section of the gospel tells us Jesus traveled the countryside, three women are mentioned by name as accompanying Jesus and his disciples and supporting them out of their means: Mary M, Joanna, Susanna, and “many others.” It also tells us that 7 devils had been cast out from Mary.

There is absolutely nothing in this Gospel to indicate Mary Magdalene was the woman who anointed Jesus.