Capitulum

1 Corinthians 7:34 provides this text from Paul's teaching on virginity. The 'mulier innupta' (unmarried woman) and 'virgo' (virgin) are distinguished - the first simply not married, the second consecrated. The phrase 'cogitat quae Domini sunt' (thinketh on the things of the Lord) describes undivided attention - no domestic concerns compete. The purpose clause 'ut sit sancta corpore et spiritu' (that she may be holy in body and spirit) reveals holiness as the goal of virginity. At Lauds, this reading presents the virgin's state as not mere abstinence but positive pursuit of God with undivided heart.