Relationship with the Blessed Mother without the Rosary?

Praying the Rosary regularly—or even fairly regularly—is not strictly necessary to have a relationship with the Blessed Mother. By virtue of your being a baptized member of the Church, Mary is your spiritual mother (John 19:27; Rev. 12:17). So you can pray informally to the Blessed Mother, including asking for her intercessory help in various ways.

In addition, a good way to get more out of the Rosary is to focus on the respective Rosary mysteries while you’re praying the 10 Hail Mary prayers associated with each mystery. Meditate on what’s going on in the event(s) of each mystery, placing yourself as an observer or even an active participant.

In the process, also ask our Lord Jesus Christ and Our Lady to help you draw lessons/guidance from the various mysteries for your own life. If you get an inspiration while praying the Rosary to apply in your life, don’t give yourself a hard time that you’ve become “distracted.” Take it as a blessing from the Good Lord and continue meditating on a mystery, and perhaps write down the inspiration so that you don’t forget it. In addition, don’t feel bad if you linger on an inspiration while praying the Rosary, because doing so can also be a gift from God.

If you approach the Rosary in this way, no matter how frequently you pray it, I think you’ll begin to appreciate the Rosary more and profit more from praying it, because you’ll be encountering our Lord and Our Lady in a more personal and otherwise profitable way.