The encyclical begins with an introduction giving an overall view of the
devotion, and recalls previous papal teachings.
Pius XII stated two reasons why the Church gives the highest form of worship to the
Heart of Jesus. The first rests on the principle whereby the believers recognise that Jesus' Heart is
hypostatically united to the "Person of the
Incarnate Son of God Himself". The second reason is derived from the fact that the Heart is the natural sign and symbol of Jesus' boundless love for humanity. The Pope describes the devotion as "theologically sound and spiritually profitable as well as fundamentally ancient and traditional in the Church". For those who would characterize Devotion to the Sacred Heart as superstitious or sentimental, he quotes
Pope Pius XI: "The veneration of the Sacred Heart is a summary of all our religion and, moreover, a guide to a more perfect life. It more easily leads our minds to know Christ the Lord intimately and more effectively turns our hearts to love Him more ardently and to imitate Him more perfectly".
Haurietis aquas "...was concerned to overcome the dangerous dualism between liturgical spirituality and nineteenth century devotion, to let each of them stimulate the other to bring forth fruit, to bring them into a fruitful relationship without simply dissolving the one in the other." Devotion to the Sacred Heart can be expressed in a number of practices, such as a
Holy Hour, the
Litany of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, participation in Mass on the
First Fridays, etc. "One of the merits of the Haurietis aquas encyclical was precisely that of helping set all these elements in their biblical context and above all of highlighting the deep meaning of this devotion, that is the love of God, who loves the world from all eternity and has given his Son for it (John 3, 16; cf. Rm 8, 32, etc.)". ==See also==