Invitatorium

'Regem Virginum' names Christ as king specifically of virgins, drawing from the 144,000 of Apocalypse 14:4 who 'follow the Lamb wherever he goes' and are described as 'virgins.' The genitive 'Virginum' establishes relationship - these souls belong to Christ as his particular possession. Patristic theology, especially Cyprian's 'De Habitu Virginum,' understood consecrated virginity as anticipation of the angelic state (Matthew 22:30). At Matins, beginning the Office in night's darkness, this invitatory summons the Church to worship the one who himself was born of a Virgin and rewards virginal dedication with the crown of martyrdom.