Gifts Of The Spirit

Eἰ οὖν ὑμεῖς πονηροὶ ὄντες οἴδατε δόματα ἀγαθὰ διδόναι τοῖς τέκνοις ὑμῶν, πόσῳ μᾶλλον ὁ Πατὴρ ὑμῶν ὁ ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς δώσει ἀγαθὰ τοῖς αἰτοῦσιν αὐτόν. Δόματα δὲ ἀγαθὰ καλεῖ τὰς πνευματικὰς δωρεάς, ὁ δὲ Λουκᾶς Πνεῦμα ἅγιον εἶπεν ἀντὶ τοῦ εἰπεῖν ἀγαθά. Kαὶ οὐδὲν τὸ διάφορον· τὸ γὰρ ἅγιον Πνεῦμα αὐτό ἐστι τὸ φύσει ἀγαθόν. διὸ καὶ τοῖς μετό χοις δίδωσιν ἀγαθά. τοῖς δὲ ἄγαν πονηροῖς διὰ τὸ ἀνενδότως ἁμαρτάνειν τρόπον τινὰ φύσις αὐτοῖς ἡ κακία γίνεται, οἷός ἐστιν ὁ σατανᾶς καὶ οἱ δαίμονες· δύναται γάρ τις καὶ τούτους φύσει κακοὺς εἰπεῖν, καίπερ μὴ φύσει κακοὺς δημιουργηθέντας, ἀλλ' ἐξ αὐτοπροαιρέτου κακίας ἀπεσκληκότας. Ἅγιος Κύριλλος Ἀλεξανδρείας, Ἐξὴγησις Εἰς Τὸ Κατὰ Ματθαιον Εὐάγγελιον Source: Migne PG 72.386d-388a

If, then, you who are wicked know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your Father in heaven give goods to those who ask Him. 1 The goods He speaks of are spiritual gifts, and so Luke speaks of 'the Holy Spirit' for 'goods'. 2 Indeed there is no difference, for the Holy Spirit is good by nature and therefore to those who participate in Him He gives goods. But with the wicked, on account of their persistent sinning, their nature is in a certain way an evil, just like Satan and the demons, for one may say they have an evil nature, although they were not created wicked by nature, because by their own choice they have become hardened in evil. Saint Cyril of Alexandria, Commentary On The Gospel Of Saint Matthew, Fragment 1 Mt 7.11 2 Lk 11.13