When St Paul says that God loves a cheerful giver, the implication is that giving is good for us. Why might this be so?

Because to give (and especially to give generously and sacrificially) is at the very heart of the nature of God – ‘God so loved the world that he gave ...’ – so when we give we mirror the activity and nature of God.

Lent especially is a time when we consider the shaping of our lives according to the pattern of Christ, so our Lenten giving is rooted in Christ who freely and lovingly gave himself for the life of the world.