Hi September Morn -- I come from a family with some similar dysfunctions. There was a time when I thought I didn't know how to love; I attached myself to women who seemed to emanate it, and they gently pointed out things I did for them and others that were "loving."

I've done a lot of reading on the topic, especially from the New Thought movement (which infuence Emerson, Science of Mind and Unity thinkers).

And others. Here's what I've come to believe: I believe that love is a divine force (or energy) for spiritual good in the universe. Or all creation. It is like a light that is too subtle to be apprehended by our 5 senses -- but we often feel love with our intuitive "sixth sense." The verses you quote seem to describe (to me) how love may manifest. But of course, there is the famous scene of Jesus overturning the money-changers' tables in the temple. Just as a parent may be angry with a child who is loved if the child does something dangerous -- play with matches, learn to unlock the patio doors that lead to the pool, drive drunk, etc. Anger may not always be the most effective way to demonstrate that the concern comes from love -- especially if it's a repeated offense. Perhaps the anger is a kind of perversion of the love energy; I'm just not a philosophic enough thinker to take it any further than this.

So that my $.02.